Dante’s Literary Classic as Interpreted by Salvador Dali
In the early 1950s Salvador Dali was commissioned by the Italian government to create a series of paintings based on Dante Alighieri’s classic poem, The Divine Comedy, in celebration of the Italian poet’s 700th birthday. Between 1951 and 1960 Dali created 101 watercolors illustrating his vison of Dante’s masterpiece. But after word spread that a Spaniard was entrusted with one of Italy’s greatest literary treasures, public outcry led the government to terminate the project.
Dali, whose motivation was academic and spiritual rather than financial, opted to forge ahead and complete the project. In 1964 Dali enlisted two master engravers who spent five years hand-carving 3,500 separate wood blocks to be used in the reproduction of his paintings. The Divine Comedy prints were released in three editions, French, German and Italian – prior to the wood blocks being destroyed preserving the integrity of the artwork.