Dante’s Sandferno

Link: http://www.lovethesepics.com/2011/07/welcome-to-hell-wicked-sand-demons-from-dantes-inferno-46-pics/

A modern art form that has gained increasing popularity within recent years is sand art, the extravagant extension of the classic sand castle.  In this art form, sand artists have taken sculpture to a new level and developed techniques to produce enormous sculptures.  The series linked to above shows a collection of different pieces that all depict various scenes for Dante’s Inferno.  It is interesting to see how this medium has come to be one that has been inspired so significantly by the Comedy.  To me, sand is the perfect medium to depict the Inferno, as it represents the fluidity Earth, at its foundation.  As the Inferno is a journey beneath the Earth, this connection is crucial.

There were two of the sculptures that particularly stood out to me.  The first is the depiction of the gates of Dis.  The periphery of the piece features the flowing swirl of bodies in the River Styx.  Seated above the actual gates are the snake-headed Furies and the devils barring the doors.  There are also faces representing the souls of the dead strewn throughout the piece.  The artist truly captured the fluidity of the river and the suffering of the dead that it brings as they are buffeted by the Styx.  The piece altogether is incredibly intimidating, but also gives the observer the desire to pass through the gate.  By leaving the gates slightly open, it is as if the observer is being invited inside the secrets of Dis, but are met with the intimidating figures of the Furies and other demons that reside there.  Though the whole scene in the Inferno seems a lot larger to me, this depiction really captures some of the true imagery that Dante likely intended to evoke.

The other sculpture of interest was the depiction of Canto XIII, the forest of those who were violent against themselves.  It features the winged Harpies clawing and eating the flesh of the trees.  The trees themselves have faces or facial features, but their arms are bound above their heads, taking the form of a tree.  This is particularly interesting because in Dante’s poem, the trees themselves didn’t really have faces.  It was not until the pilgrim himself plucked a twig off the tree that the latent souls made themselves largely known.  Further, this sculpture gives a sense of the extreme agony associated with the state of existing as a tree, as the faces of the trees are twisted in pain.  This suffering is contrasted slightly by the demeanor of the Harpies, who seem solemn, almost to the point of serenity.  Altogether, this image was an extremely powerful depiction of the canto.

A few of the later sculptures are very interesting to look at and depict scenes farther along in the Comedy than our current position, particularly to sculpture of Lucifer.  But these sculptures all have a lot of fascinating features and the artists works extremely hard on every single detail in the piece.  Altogether, it is an extraordinary way to view the Inferno.