Dante's inferno.
Dante and Virgil in hell. (c1850)
Dante's inferno. Dante and Virgil in hell.
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This large painting by William Bouguereau depicts a scene from Dantes inferno.
It is set on the banks of the river Styx which formed the boundary between earth and the under world. Dante is with Virgil who is his guide through the nine circles of Hell. The circles are concentric, representing a gradual increase in wickedness, and culminating at the centre of the earth, where the devil himself is held in bondage.
This painting depicts Dante in the fifth circle which represents Wrath and sullenness. He is standing on the left of the painting with the ghost of Virgil at his side.
They are looking upon the sins of wrath (extreme anger) and sullenness (sulkiness, moroseness, brooding resentment, gloominess, sluggishness.) The dominant male at the front of the piece is ruthlessly attacking his opponent in an attempt to tear his throat out with his teeth showing extreme wrathful behaviour. While this is going on a sullen some what distressed male lies on the floor at their feet. In the background their is a mass of mostly male entwined bodies, some exhibiting signs of sullenness while others are being wrathful toward each other. Others appear to be trying to avoid falling into a chasm of hot boiling liquid and are desperately trying to cling onto something to avoid their fate. Behind them a winged demon patiently watches over the proceedings.
Dante and Virgil looking upon the sins of wrath and sullenness. The expression on the face of Dante is clearly one of concern.
The Winged demon, arms folded, patiently overseas proceedings as he looks upon the mass of writhing bodies.
William Bouguereau was a master at painting with a photo like quality. The detail and realism of the fingers gouging at the flesh give the skin an almost three dimensional elastic appearance. Through out the work the muscle tone and sinewy detail of the bodies and the facial expressions show the extreme tension and determination of the subjects portrayed, all demonstrating Bouguereau's unique ability to produce convincing photo realistic portrayals of his subjects .
Background detail from Dante and Virgil in hell. In this example among a mass of what appear to be predominantly males their is what appears to be a single female trying to attack a male from behind while he desperately tries to resist her. At her feet there is what appears to be another female who has fallen back into the mass of bodies. She is reaching up as if desperately awaiting to be assisted back to her feet. Her long fair hair can be seen through the crook of the fighting man in the forground's arm to the front of the piece.
A sullen some what distressed male lies at the feet of the duelling males. You can clearly see the angst and distress captured in the facial expression.
The above account is my interpretation of the work and should in no way be taken as fact.
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About Dante's Inferno
Inferno (Italian for Hell) is the first part of Dante Alighieri's fourteenth-century epic poem Divine Comedy. It is followed by Purgatorio and Paradiso. It is an allegory telling of the journey of Dante through what is largely the medieval concept of Hell, guided by the Roman poet Virgil. In the poem, Hell is depicted as nine circles of suffering located within the Earth. Allegorically, the Divine Comedy represents the journey of the soul towards God, with the Inferno describing the recognition and rejection of sin.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inferno_(Dante)
The nine circles of Hell
- Limbo. (To be in limbo is to be neither in Heaven or Hell.)
- Lust. (A strong sexual desire.)
- Gluttony. (An insatiable appetite for something. Mainly associated with eating.)
- Avarice & Prodigality. (A greed for wealth or gain ) (A lavish extravagance. )
- Wrath & Sullenness. ( Extreme anger) (To sulk, brood, be resentful, morose, gloomy and sluggish.)
- Heresy. ( To form an opinion contrary to an accepted belief. )
- Violence. (An unlawful use of force toward another. )
- Fraud. ( Criminal deception or dishonesty. )
- Betrayal. ( To be disloyal so as to assist an enemy. )
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