Paradiso Archives - Page 3 of 22

The Mathematics of The Divine Comedy

November 19, 2021 By Sephora Affa, FSU '24

“As God’s Creation, we experience a physical realm of differentiated entities and perceive multiplicity in our material reality. The character of Beatrice utilizes this fact in Paradiso 2 when she proposes the mirror experiment. The experiment combines mathematical, geometrical, and optical/physical principles to demonstrate spiritual truths. This experiment, especially its utilization of reflection, plants a seed in Dante, prodding him on his journey to the Divine: ‘Nature offers to the symbolic poet clearly denotable objects in-depth and in the round, which yield the analogies to the higher senses.’ [19] In the Primo Mobile, Dante the poet utilizes these same principles as he approaches the dimensionless punto of the Divine, the source and ground of all being.”[. . .] –Matthew Canonico, University of Notre Dame: Church Life Journal, April 28, 2021

Read the full analysis here.

The Divine Comedy NFTs

November 3, 2021 By Harrison Betz, FSU '25

“THΞ DIVINΞ COMΞDY project consists of 700 NFTs with randomly combined Canti of Inferno, Purgatorio, and Paradiso as a celebration of the 700th anniversary of Dante Alighieri’s death.

“The Divine Comedy represents a 14th-century vision of the afterlife, describing Dante’s journey through the three realms of the dead: Inferno, Purgatorio, and Paradiso. Today Dante’s masterpiece is widely considered to be the pre-eminent work in Italian literature and one of the greatest works of world literature.

“ti_series is a collective of friends, crypto art lovers, having the aim of creating some of the most fascinating series stored on chain.”[. . .] –ti_series, OpenSea (retrieved November 3, 2021)

For more information about ti_series and their work, view their Twitter page here.

Dante Songs (October 2021)

November 3, 2021 By Hannah Raisner, FSU '25

The 9:46 long composition by Darko Domitrović is made up of three songs. The first is “Inferno,” followed by “Purgatorio,” ending with “Paradiso.” Martina Zadro sings Dante’s poetry while accompanied by Domitrović on piano.

Find the recording on your favorite streaming service here, or listen on YouTube.

The complete score is available for free download here.

Contributed by Darko Domitrović

Exhibit: Klaus Wrage illustratore della Divina Commedia

November 2, 2021 By Harrison Betz, FSU '25

“La mostra presenta 36 xilografie di Klaus Wrage, artista espressionista tedesco, sulla Divina Commedia da una collezione privata, in occasione delle celebrazioni per i 700 anni dalla morte di Dante Alighieri.

“L’evento rappresenta la magia di un incontro, quello fra le immagini di un maestro dimenticato e i vertici più alti della poesia di tutti i tempi, cioè i versi del Sommo poeta Dante. L’incontro, che per Klaus Wrage ha avuto un peso decisivo nella sua vita (è lui stesso a definirlo salvifico) ci rivela anche l’aspetto universale dell’opera più pubblicata al mondo dopo la Bibbia, un primato che fa della Divina Commedia uno dei fenomeni letterari che maggiormente hanno inciso sulla cultura internazionale.” [. . .] —Associazione per la promozione artistica e culturale del Lago Maggiore (AMALAGO)

The exhibit ran from June 5th – June 27th, 2021.

See our post on Klaus Wrage’s illustrations here.

Klaus Wrage, Divine Comedy Illustrations (ca. 1925)

November 2, 2021 By Harrison Betz, FSU '25

“Nelle tavole realizzate con la tecnica dell’incisione sul legno, Klaus Wrage racconta l’inferno, il purgatorio e il paradiso danteschi attraverso pieni e vuoti, bianco e nero, ricreando così l’effetto “chiaroscuro” dei contrasti vissuti e narrati da Dante Alighieri nella sua opera.

“Il bene, il male, la luce e il buio, sono questi gli elementi che l’artista tedesco riporta nei suoi lavori cercando un’interpretazione del pensiero di Dante, attribuendogli significati diversi a seconda della chiave impiegata: semantica, religiosa o simbolica.” —Associazione per la promosionze artistica e culturale del Lago Maggiore (AMALAGO)

See our post about an exhibit of Klaus Wrage illustrations in Italy here.

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