Komodie Nr. 8: Lasciate Ogni Speranze (Abandon all Hope) from Dante's Inferno

Jiri Anderle

Inspired by Dante’s epic Divine Comedy, Jiri Anderle takes on the passage in which Virgil guides the reader through the gates of Hell, over which is inscribed the phrase, “Abandon Hope All Ye Who Enter Here.” An oft-visited theme in the art world, Anderle’s interpretation deviates from the literal and emerges like a Symbolist fever dream, clouded with dark, indeterminate shapes that loom over the visages of people the viewer might assume are experiencing the transition from a life of sin into the punishing underworld - or, simply, into madness. We are left to question whether Hell, Purgatory, and Heaven are simply figments of our imagination that nevertheless hold sway over our destiny.

Anderle’s style is greatly influenced by the Old Masters, not only in their techniques and styles but in their subjects as well, but always with a Surrealist bent. His work ranges from Renaissance-like portraits to vast landscapes, with highly detailed compositions suggesting an artist who labors intently through a lens of minute, intense focus. In “Komodie No. 8,” even in the spaces where line and form are sparse there is no corner of the sheet without purpose.