Cerberus, Inferno, Divina Dali Exhibit, Brookfield Place, 181 Bay Street, Toronto, ON
Excerpt from the plaque:
Inferno: Just before the Inferno, Dante’s La Divina Comedia opens with a powerful statement that resonates with the reader: ‘In the middle of the journey of our life I came to myself in a dark wood for the straight way was lost.” This sentence tells us that in the midst of everyone’s life-including Dante’s-the path, which until then seemed well drawn, seems to slip away before our eyes, leaving us in fundamental doubt and perpetual shadow. These verses also mark the beginning of a quest, that of Dante’s. In the name of humanity, the poet will go through the three stages which will allow him, and consequently humanity, to find his own way.
Dante’s journey with the poet Virgil begins with a visit to Inferno. The Inferno is not only a dreamlike space, but a place of symbols. Nine circles unfold there and must be crossed successively. In each circle, Dante meets men struck with eternal punishment and understands that the penalties are inflicted on the basis of guilt. He also notes that the gravity of certain crimes makes them absolutely unforgivable, creating an interior disunity within each of the culprits. In La Divina Comedia, Dante therefore offers his reader an inner pilgrimage that begins with a visit to Inferno, making them witness to what Evil is and what falling feels like.
Cerberus, Inferno, Divina Dali Exhibit, Brookfield Place, 181 Bay Street, Toronto, ON
Excerpt from the plaque:
Inferno: Just before the Inferno, Dante’s La Divina Comedia opens with a powerful statement that resonates with the reader: ‘In the middle of the journey of our life I came to myself in a dark wood for the straight way was lost.” This sentence tells us that in the midst of everyone’s life-including Dante’s-the path, which until then seemed well drawn, seems to slip away before our eyes, leaving us in fundamental doubt and perpetual shadow. These verses also mark the beginning of a quest, that of Dante’s. In the name of humanity, the poet will go through the three stages which will allow him, and consequently humanity, to find his own way.
Dante’s journey with the poet Virgil begins with a visit to Inferno. The Inferno is not only a dreamlike space, but a place of symbols. Nine circles unfold there and must be crossed successively. In each circle, Dante meets men struck with eternal punishment and understands that the penalties are inflicted on the basis of guilt. He also notes that the gravity of certain crimes makes them absolutely unforgivable, creating an interior disunity within each of the culprits. In La Divina Comedia, Dante therefore offers his reader an inner pilgrimage that begins with a visit to Inferno, making them witness to what Evil is and what falling feels like.