Dante’s Influence on Art and Western Culture

Dante’s Influence on Art and Western Culture

Many great artists have graced the earth’s surface with unique artistic works, which remains a hot topic of discussion and an area of study to date. Each artist draws their inspiration from somewhere that helps them achieve the great feats that make them so famous today. Some artists do not just get inspiration from other artists, but also “borrow” some of the skills used by their predecessors. Among the famous artist of all time is Dante Alighieri; this is because his work and style inspired many artists, not just in his home country of Italy, but all around the world. His most influential piece of work is his poem La Commedia also called the Divine Comedy. This poem gained prominence because every artist, especially the upcoming ones, could relate to it and obtain inspiration from it. This paper analyses the effect that the Divine Comedy, specifically the art piece called the Inferno, had on Western culture, dark romanticism, and religion. To get a better understanding of these effects, the main point of examination is the extent to which Dante’s Inferno influenced the imagery employed in Capricho 43 by Goya.  This paper also analyzes how Dante’s works influenced religion and how the influence manifests itself today.

By finding answers to these questions, people can trace the origin of some of the most excellent artistic styles in the industry today. It allows people to understand how different artists started performing certain types of art and why they did it, especially those influenced by Dante. To find the answers to these questions, we required an in-depth analysis of work done by different artists that bore evident relations to Dante’s work. Also, the study needed a thorough examination of articles by various scholars concerning Dante’s great work and the influence it had on other artists.

Background

The Divine Comedy is a narrative poem that he worked on for 12 years between 1308 and 1320, according to popular belief (Alighieri and Ciardi 2). The poem comprises three canticles, The Inferno, The Purgatorio, and The Paradiso. It describes Dante’s journey through these places, which translate to Hell, Purgatory, and Paradise, or Heaven. The unique features of this poem include the use of the Tuscan dialect, rather than Latin that as widely used at the time. These new steps in the art would act as a driving force that helps other artists that came before him to reach larger audiences other than the educated ones (Best 1). Of the three divisions, The Pugartorio is the most lyrical, making references to more modern-day artists and poets than the other two. However, The Inferno gives readers the ability to develop images in their minds regarding a theme that is subject to speculation. It is for this reason that it is the main reference point in this paper since images stay longer in the minds of humans and can be handed down from generation to generation.

Influence on Art

The poem talks about someone who went from being in darkness to the light. By doing this, he catches the attention of artists explicitly. This reference is valid for artists who, when starting, have no idea of whether or not they would be successful or how the audience will react to their art. The darkness is symbolic of this state. However, Alighieri manages to overcome the difficulties along the way and reaches paradise, where there is light. This fact encourages artists not to give up on their ambitions. Instead, they should carry on with their journey despite the obstacles that they may. Eventually, after they overcome the difficulties, they will reach the light and become an inspiration to others within the field of art. Dante’s work encourages them that glory lies ahead once they overcome the hardships. He famously once said, “The path to paradise begins in hell” (Alighieri, 1)

In the poem, Dante describes hell as a real place where humans can locate and route through. By doing this, he aided in coining the imagery and language that many people employ when describing Hell (Ireland & Penelope 1). He also created a common linking point for the conversation of gruesome activities like the Holocaust. By doing so, he opened the way for many great artists to rise to prominence by expounding on his legendary pieces of artwork. One notable figure who carried on Dante’s legacy is Francisco de Goya. Picking up the gruesome images created by Dante’s words, he translated them into illustrations to increase the scope of understanding of the target audience.

Capricho 43

Francisco de Goya y Lucientes’ developed a collection of 80 artworks collectively known as Los Caprichos. Also, he created aquatints of satirical portraits. Through the Caprichos, several themes come to mind from Goya’s work. These themes include love, religion, mortality, marriage, superstition, and ignorance. Each Capricho has a numerical identity, ranging from 1 to 80, which distinguishes it from the rest. The most famous of the pieces is Capricho 43: “El sueño de la Razon produce monstruos,” which translates to “the sleep of reason produces monsters.” The article portrays a man lay his head on top of a desk, presumably asleep. There are numerous “ghosts” and visions of giant cats, owls, and bats scouring around him and above his head. Under the man, some words read: “The artist dreaming. His only purpose is to banish harmful, vulgar beliefs and to perpetuate in this work of caprices the solid testimony of truth” (Brown 17).

The man in the picture might be Goya himself. This assumption is based on the fact that he is sleeping on drawing tools, possibly meaning that he is an artist. This depiction represents the paranoid nature of Goya, probably caused by Dante’s Inferno. Despite the threat of the bats and owls by his side, the man appears to be sleeping peacefully. There is a lynx in the drawing that sits quietly, although it is very alert, shown by its widened eyes. At the centre of the illustration lies a creature that stares at the audience. By doing this, Goya demonstrates that the demons in the picture do not only offer a threat to the man in the picture but also those who are looking on. This depiction shows that everyone may be required to battle demons at some point in their life, even if it seems that the demons are concerned with another person.

Many people believe that Goya was a sharp observer of the things that happened around him. His observational skills came in handy when he expressed his experiences through his paintings. His art tallied the turbulent occurrences in his day. As such, his art was full of emotion

Goya employs the dual blending techniques in his images: aquatint as well as etching. By using aquatint, he gives the images a glaring contrast between light and darkness. This technique provides the work with a noticeably enigmatic and dark attribute. The work includes owls, representing folly, and bats, which represent ignorance. The work offers correspondence to the fraudulent Spanish society, which was Goya’s worst nightmare. This assumption is because the symbols he chooses to use in his drawing are linked with mystery and evil in Spanish folk tradition.

Goya uses a homochromatic approach that complements the significance of the dark aura and ambience. He exaggerates the sizes of the objects in his piece, tackling the state of mind that grows bigger. He balances the light and darkness in the illustration, indicating a balance between the positive and negative space. This statement is mostly true because a person is majorly responsible for the path he decides to take in life. He can choose to live a righteous life (positivity) or a sinful one (negativity). The choice lies with an individual whole will face the consequences of each decision made (Alighieri and Ciardi 32)

The man in the picture is asleep, while the creatures behind him roam about freely. Ideally, if the man were awake, the animals would not continue lurking nearby, especially the bats and cats. The sleep interferes with the reason for the man in the picture. Therefore, scholars concluded that the message that Goya was putting across was that, without basis, the evils in the society would prevail. This illustration was a wakeup call to members in the community to step up and do something about the corruption that was prevalent in the country.

In a way similar to Dante’s style, Goya speaks up against societal evils through his artwork. Dante’s focus was mainly on politicians who deceived people and disrespected religious institutions (Cummings, 2). While Dante painted the image of Hell in the afterlife, Goya painted the picture of hell on earth. The gruesome creatures in Dante’s inferno and those in Goya’s painting both represent the pain and suffering that people endure. Even though the two artists were from different times, how they express their beliefs is almost similar.

We can argue that Goya derived his inspiration from Dante. After looking at Dante’s depiction of hell in the afterlife, he borrowed some of the features and used them to create an illustration of hell on earth. Many people are more likely to relate to Goya’s painting because he refers to a period in time when people are alive and can give feedback on the issue. They experience these troubles and can share their experiences on the matter. On the other hand, Dante’s depiction of the afterlife is subject to debate because nobody has been to the afterlife. People can only imagine what the place is like, and in case they need a more vivid description to help them create an image of the afterlife, they can refer to Dante’s Inferno.

After a thorough analysis of Goya’s painting, it is clear to see that his work is truly original. He improved the work that was started by Dante. He used Dante as an inspiration to come up with a way to express the evils that are ever-present in society to date. His work did not just have significance to the audience present during his time. Instead, the message he put across still applies to many people all over the world today. He manages to successfully put his message across, illustrating the evils that go on around people when they decide not to pay attention.

Different pieces of work receive different judgments based on two main factors, technique and emotional content. Goya’s art stands out in both categories. The artwork expresses how he feels about the happenings in society and, to some extent, indicates that he is tired of the vices. So much so that he turns away and lets events happen as they will. In terms of technique, he manages to successfully incorporate two different skills to come up with a masterpiece. The beauty of his work may have influenced artists that came after him to practice the art of blending different skills to give splendid art pieces.

Goya’s exploits earned him recognition as both an Old Master, and the first truly modern artist (Ireland & Penelope 1). His art expresses the emphasis of Romanticism on imagination, partisanship and emotion. Just like Dante before him, Goya’s work inspired upcoming artists to practice some artistic features that he made famous such as searing social commentary and grotesque imagery. He borrowed the concept of grotesque imagery from Dante, who used words to paint pictures in people’s minds. Goya, brought these words to life by painting illustrations of Dante’s words, making the picture easier to process and remember vividly. Therefore, it is evident that Dante work, with help from Goya’s illustrations, affects contemporary artists.

Impact on Western Culture

Dante’s morality of sins and virtues played a significant role in shaping the dynamics of the world, as we know it today. From his poem, the Divine comedy, the different sections represent essential social and political aspects. The Inferno represents a corrupt society that offers many challenges and suffering; the Purgatory represents a society in transition and represents an ideal society (Ferrante 182). This was Dante’s political vision, and, arguably, many people in the world today share similar sentiments. Dante based much of his writing on his personal experiences, and as such, people who endure the same lessons will relate to the message that Dante put across in his famous poem.

Dante’s new style of writing in the Tuscan dialect opened doors for the commoners to be included in activities previously reserved for the educated members of society. For instance, most writers at the time used the Latin language for their works. As such, the content in the artwork was only accessible to educated people. However, Dante sought to put an end to this culture by using the local Tuscan dialect in his writings. He defended the use of dialect in literature through his work titled De vulgari eloquentia (On Eloquence in the Vernacular). He insisted that commoners have the right to access artwork such as poetry so that they could also show their appreciation (Alighieri 1).

By doing so, he paved the way for other artists, such as Petrarch and Boccaccio, to start writing in the local dialect. In a way, this move was the beginning of reducing the gap created by differences in social class in society. In the world today, the gap between people due to different social levels is not as huge as it was before. The man responsible for this progress, although unknowingly at the time, is Dante Alighieri, through his vision to share his wisdom with everyone in society.

Also, by destroying the culture of using Latin only in writing, he destroyed the language barrier that prevented people from fully appreciating the diversity present in literature. Presently, people translate literary works into different languages so that the content is accessible to a broader population all around the globe. Dante’s visionary artwork opened the eyes of other artists in the society who immediately joined him is supporting his movements by writing in languages other than Latin.

Influence on Religion

The Divine Comedy’s division into three parts is symbolic of the Holy Trinity, which Christians, especially Catholics, still believe in today. The Holy Trinity is comprised of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Each of the three sections of the poem is an expression of one Person of the Trinity: “The Inferno represents the power of the Father; the Purgatory represents the wisdom of the Son, and Paradise represents the love of the Holy Spirit” (Dante 1). Also, the rhyme scheme of the poem is terza rima or “third rhyme,” used to by Dante to symbolize the Trinity.

The themes illustrated in the poem represent what every human, or at least the religious ones, must come to terms within the modern-day. Dante gives a vivid description of the agonies present in hell, the vagueness of purgatory, and the splendours of heaven (Janney 2). Presently, the church teaches of the pain and suffering that sinful individuals will have to endure for eternity in hell. Therefore, the church encourages people to live righteous lives so that they may join God in heaven and enjoy the glories present there. Dante played a significant role in cementing the beliefs that many people have today.

Dante’s Inferno is an observation of Italian religion and politics in the late thirteenth and fourteenth centuries (Politics and Religion in Dante’s Inferno). Dante’s support for the Pope and the church was dependent on the political affiliation of the Pope. He only showed his support when the Pope shared the same political party as himself. At the time, there was a stable relationship between religion and politics, making the pope a prominent political figure.

Dante’s political stand, along with his perception of catholic, affected the writing of the inferno. His religion determined the type of sins that qualified a person to be subjected to eternal suffering in hell. These are still the guidelines that govern most beliefs today, particularly the Catholic Church. Therefore, the gruesome experiences in hell, as described by Dante, make Christians want to avoid that place at all costs. As such, they stick to the teachings of their religion, which, in some way, make the world a better place.

Dante used his poetic skills to express the social and political evils perpetrated by political and religious leaders. He implies that even though they hide behind the church on earth, they will be punished for their sins in Hell. This statement is very symbolic in Christian teachings as they believe that those that practice evil deeds will receive a life sentence from God condemning them to eternal suffering. Therefore, the words encourage them not to give up on being good just because other individuals do not treat them right.

The law of Dante’s hell is the law of symbolic retribution (Alighieri and Ciardi 17). This statement implies that those who live sinful lives will be subject to an eternity of suffering in hell. Their actions on earth will determine the type of treatment they receive in the afterlife. He states that since they chose a life of darkness by sinning, they will continue to live in the dark, which is characteristic of hell in the afterlife. This theory is very much in line with the current Christian teachings that sinners will go to hell while the righteous will go to heaven to be with God and enjoy their lives for the rest of eternity.

Dante creates a picture of what happens to atheists in the after-life. The first group are virtuous pagans, people who did good things for society but did not believe in the existence of God. He says that such people were born without the light of Christ’s revelation, and cannot come into the light of God as a result. However, due to their virtues on earth, they are not tormented. Their only pain is that they have no hope (Alighieri and Ciardi 25). This passage informs people that performing good deeds is not enough if they do not believe in God. It emphasizes that to enter heaven, one must be righteous and believe in Him. Once you enter hell, all hope is lost. One of Dante’s famous quotes says: “All hope abandon, ye who enter here.” (Alighieri 2). He says this about the words written on the Gates of Hell.

Pierre Auguste Rodin’s statue, famously known as The Thinker, depicts a man envisioning the Gates of Hell. This is a representation of a scene from the Inferno, whereby the man looks on as hell consumes its newest residents (Janney 2). Many presume the man to be Dante when he was in hell. This illustration creates a horrifying picture of hell in people’s minds, so much so that they would do anything to avoid going to that place. This is, to some extent, the basis of modern-day religion, where people refrain from evil deeds to avoid going to hell to face eternal suffering.

Dante does much more in giving people a description of hell, much more than the authors of the Bible do. By doing so, he allows his readers to know just how gruesome the punishment for evil deeds is. This grotesque picture etched in people’s minds, reinforced by religious teachings, forces people to refrain from sinful behaviour for fear of going to hell. His imagery remains in use today in different forms developed by other artists who derived their inspiration from Dante and his works.

Goya complemented Dante’s work by painting an illustration of the demons that surround people in their every-day activities. He indicates that demons are an ever-present occurrence looking on waiting for the opportunity to pounce on unsuspecting individuals. Modern churches teach that the devil is always waiting for an opening to destroy people’s lives by luring them into sin. By so doing, he ensures that he will have company in hell’s eternal fire (Brown 87).

Dante may have had a significant impact on the Protestant Reformation. In the ‘The Divine Comedy,’ he points out the injustice present in the Catholic Church as of that era: “the economic debauchery of simony, money-grubbing religious orders, sexual misdeeds of the clergy, the political machinations of the papacy, and the non-Christian actions they engaged in,” (Alighieri and Ciardi 37). Given that he grew up in a Catholic background, his religious beliefs were influenced by this background. However, as he grew up, he witnessed the evils that those in the Catholic Church engaged in and he was disgusted. He took to his poem to express his displeasure with the practices of those supposed to be holy in society.

In the 17^th Century, a group of people in England referred to Dante as a de facto Protestant. They based their conclusion on the poem he wrote, exposing the evil deeds of church leaders. Therefore, they assumed that he no longer wanted to be part of the Catholic Church. These English people were also tired of the activities of the Catholic Church. They used Dante as a reference point as they propagated their non-Catholic claims. Dante’s work supported their claims in different ways, and they broke away from the Catholic Church and formed one of theirs: The Protestant Church.

Dante was merely expressing his discontentment with the evil acts of the representatives of the Catholic Church. Little did he know that his words would inspire people to form a parallel Christian movement that still exists and continues to grow with each passing year. Whether you agree with Dante’s sentiments or not, it is an undeniable fact that he played a significant role in the establishment of the Protestant Church as we know it today.

Influence on Memento Mori

A memento mori is an artistic reminder that death is inevitable. A Latin phrase translates to “Remember that you must die.” For many years, this may just have been a phrase with little to no significant impact on human beings worldwide. However, Dante managed to paint a vivid picture of the afterlife through his poem, The Divine Comedy. With specific consideration to the Inferno, the artwork moved a lot of people from their comfort zones. It forced them to think about what would happen to them after they die. The picture that Dante painted of hell is an alarming one, and nobody in their right mind would want to go there for any reason whatsoever.

As a result, the image has remained etched in people’s minds, giving some of them sleepless nights. The thought of spending an eternity in hell enduring endless suffering can be devastating. As such, many people spend most of their time thinking of ways to avoid the dreadful place known as hell. It has forced them to think about the afterlife on a more severe level than before. Many individuals believed that once you died, that was the end of life, and you ceased to exist.

However, Dante’s depiction of the afterlife might have brought a permanent end to these beliefs. Even though some people claim that the thought of hell does not scare them, part of them wonders what if hell exists and whether they would manage to handle the pain dished out in that awful place. It is undeniable that Dante changed the landscape of memento mori through Inferno. The effects are present to date as some people report having nightmares about hell, some going further to state that they were actually in hell and managed to return. The Inferno has affected how people perceive the afterlife. Therefore, they will do everything in their power to ensure that their after-life is free of suffering.

Also, Goya changed the landscape by introducing the picture of demons being present in the current life. This illustration introduced new thoughts to people’s minds. They realized that they did not have to wait until death to encounter demons. The journey towards fighting demons begins on earth and continues after one dies and moves to the after-life. Based on these illustrations, memento mori becomes a dreadful concept to think about. However, thinking about it remains inevitable, thanks to these two famous artists.

Conclusion

Dante’s work may have been created very many years ago, but the relevance in his art is still visible to date. His works inspired several great artists to become famous people they turned out to be. In the process, they also inspired other artists in their paths to success. Also, different people always employ his great ideas in modern-day activities such as music, films, mobile apps, and even video games. Much of the political, social, and religious landscape is as it is because of his enormous contribution. There is no denying that he was an influential man who went down in history books as one of the greatest poets that ever lived. His works will continue to inspire people in days to come. The inspiration does not have to go directly from one of Dante’s actions but can come from a person that drew their inspiration from Dante. It is a continuous flow that, when traced, will always lead back to Dante.

Works Cited

Alighieri, Dante. De vulgari eloquentia. Ediciones Cátedra, 2018.

Alighieri, Dante. “Dante Alighieri Quotes (Author of Inferno).” Goodreads.Com, 2020, https://www.goodreads.com/author/quotes/5031312.Dante_Alighieri.

Brown, Dan. Inferno. Random House, 2013.

Cummings, Erica. Study.Com, 2020, https://study.com/academy/lesson/dante-alighieri-biography-works-quotes.html.

Dante Alighieri and John Ciardi. The Inferno. New American Library, 2009.

Ferrante, Joan M. The political vision of the Divine Comedy. Princeton University Press, 2014.

Ireland, Brian, and Penelope James. “A Journey Through Hell: Dante’s influence on Art Spiegelman’s Maus.” Dante e l’Arte 5 (2018): 0037-60.

Janney, Rebecca Price. “Dante’S Enduring Influence | Christian History Magazine.” Christian History Institute, 2020, https://christianhistoryinstitute.org/magazine/article/dantes-enduring-influence.