UIG contributing photographer Claudio Ciabochi presents a visual reflection on the brilliance of Italian literary giant Dante Alighieri (1265-1321). Ciabochi’s photographs are of paintings and sketches by Filippo Bigioli housed at the Filippo Bigioli Modern Art Gallery in San Severino Marche, Italy.
Dante’s use of the vernacular in his poetry and his challenges to the hegemony of the Roman Catholic Church helped inspire the cultural and intellectual changes that birthed the Renaissance, a period in European history that fostered classical learning and exploration.
Judgment of Minos 
Paolo and Francesca in the storm 
The angel scolds the demons of Dite 
The Arch of Dite and Farinata degli Uberti 
Ugolino and Ruggeri in the Antenora 
Lucifer in the Giudecca 
The Two Poets and the Souls intent on Casella’s song 
Dante dreams of the Golden Eagle 
The angel guarding the Purgatory 
The superb loaded with stones 
Matelda in the earthly Paradise 
The Triumph of the Divinity 
Death of Dante 
The Throne of the Virgin
Dante’s Divine Comedy is widely accepted as the most important literature work in the Italian language as well as one of the most important works of the Middle Ages. By choosing to write the Divine Comedy in the Italian vernacular rather than in Latin, Dante decisively influenced the course of literary development. Italian would become the language of European literature for many centuries following the Divine Comedy. The poem, which is divided into three sections, follows a man, generally assumed to be Dante himself, as he visits Hell, Purgatory, and Paradise.
Dante’s philosophical ideas and belief in inclusive intelligence and spirituality were constant themes throughout all his works. Dante professed the nobility of man, and that nobleness was not reserved only for the wealthy and elite, but was endemic in all people and was to be nurtured in life through virtue and happiness.
Photographer and historian Claudio Ciabochi, based in Fabriano, Italy, has amassed an important and comprehensive collection of Italian art, architecture and historical places of note. His archive also provides a global perspective on iconic cultural heritage locations.
Claudio’s collection is available through UIG and also at http://www.claudiociabochi.com/
All photos credited to Claudio Ciabochi / Universal Images Group. All paintings by Filippo Bigioli.
Additional text sources:
https://www.britannica.com/biography/Dante-Alighierihttps://plato.stanford.edu/entries/dante/