This anthology of some 20 short pieces focuses on each of the contributors’ most memorable meals. In La Divina Commedia Amy Bloom recounts her quest for the ultimate lasagna, recoiling in horror from the oxymoronic “dieter’s lasagna.” She writes: “I am looking for the perfect lasagna, making my way through cookbooks at midnight, ready for heartbreak but hopeful, like Dante seeking Beatrice.” [. . .] —Amy Bloom
Dai Dudu, Li Tiezi, and Zhang An, Discussing the Divine Comedy with Dante (2006)
“This extraordinary painting depicting 103 figures from world history in striking detail has become the latest internet hit.
“Message boards have erupted with contests to identify all those featured, who range from instantly recognisable figures like Gandhi to some more obscure figures such as Liu Xiang, the Chinese hurdler who limped out of the Beijing Olympics in the summer.
“An element of mystery also surrounds that origins of the picture, which appears to have drawn inspiration from Raphael’s Renaissance fresco The School of Athens. [. . .]
“Another clue comes from the three undistinguished men in contemporary dress who survey the scene from behind a wall at the top right of the picture.
“Internet detectives have identified these three as little-known Chinese/Taiwanese artists named as Dudu, Li Tiezi, and Zhang An.
“They created the oil painting – titled Discussing the Divine Comedy with Dante – in 2006, although it has only become a viral internet hit in the past few weeks.
“Alastair Sooke, art writer at The Daily Telegraph, said that the work reflected a trend of contemporary Chinese artists adopting Western styles and subjects.
“‘But the Dante reference makes us wonder whether we are looking at some nether-circle deep inside the Inferno: this is a vision of Celebrity Hell,’ he added.” —Matthew Moore, London Daily Telegraph, 16 March 2009
Click here to view a high-resolution, annotated version of the painting. Dante may be seen with his Commedia in the upper right hand corner of the painting, standing among the three artists.
“Dr. Who: The Impossible Planet & The Satan Pit” (2006)
Second series of Doctor Who, Episodes 8 and 9: The Impossible Planet and The Satan Pit
Tangerine Dream, Divina Commedia Albums (2002, 2004, 2006)
See Discogs for information on albums Inferno, Purgatorio, and Paradiso.
Contributed by Joe Henderson (Bowdoin, ’10)
Christian Anthony, “And Everything In Between” (2006)
“In his video short, Christian Anthony has appropriated film and television clips creating a collage of images and scenes describing the afterlife. These fragments, taken from the last several decades, emphasize the tension between the media-driven, pop culture representations of heaven, hell and purgatory and people’s personal perceptions of these concepts. Anthony’s portrait of the collective afterlife is at times comic, violent and wicked as it tosses up stereotypes, self-righteousness and fear.” —San Jose Institute of Contemporary Art
Watch the video here.
- « Previous Page
- 1
- …
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- …
- 13
- Next Page »
