Divino Dante

A quote from Canto XXVI of Dante's Inferno. Ulysses, the mythical Greek hero, tells Dante the circumstances of his death — a call to human dignity and the thirst for knowledge.

This collage draws on Egon Schiele (1910) and Pieter Bruegel the Elder (c. 1560s).

A quote from Canto VIII of Dante's Purgatorio — one of the most lyrical passages of the Divine Comedy, describing the melancholy that overcomes travelers at sunset.

Contributors to this collage include Caspar David Friedrich (1822), Pieter Bruegel the Elder (1566), Giotto (1310) and Vittore Carpaccio (1505).

A quote from Canto XXXIV of Dante's Inferno. All three canticles — Inferno, Purgatorio and Paradiso — end with the word ‘stelle’ (stars): Dante wanted the reader's gaze, after traveling through suffering and expiation, to always be turned toward the sky.

This collage brings together an anonymous Tuscan painter (c. 1500) and Vincent van Gogh (1888).

A quote from Canto V of Dante's Inferno. Francesca da Rimini tells how literature itself can be the spark that ignites passion.

The collage draws on a Dutch interior scene (c. 1700) and Pieter de Hooch's domestic paintings (1670).

A quote from Canto III of Dante's Inferno — Virgil's words to Dante regarding the indifferent, those who never took a stand: an invitation not to waste time on those who do not deserve our attention.

Contributors include Pieter Bruegel the Elder (1568 and 1559), Joachim Patinir (1510) and Henry Holiday (1884).

A quote from Canto III of Dante's Inferno — the terrible inscription above the gates of Hell, used today, ironically, to describe a situation with no way out.

This collage draws on Jan Steen (1663).

A quote from Canto V of Dante's Inferno. Dante is moved by the suffering of the two lovers — so shaken by his conflicting feelings and the sight of their pain that he faints, bringing Canto V to a close.

Contributors include Nicola Monti (1810), Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres (1845) and Ary Scheffer (1851).

A quote from Canto I of Dante's Inferno — the phrase that opens the Divine Comedy, the moment when the Poet, like every person, feels lost in the chaos of existence.

This collage draws on Caspar David Friedrich (1822) and Fernand Khnopff (1885).

A quote from Canto VI of Dante's Purgatorio — Dante's invective against the Italy of his time, divided within itself and without the guidance of a national government.

Contributors include the Master of Alkmaar (1504) and Paula Modersohn-Becker (1902).

A quote from Canto XXXIII of Dante's Paradiso — the opening of Saint Bernard's prayer to the Virgin Mary, a poetic paradox.

This collage draws on Masolino da Panicale (1423).