Elihu Vedder (American, 1836–1923)
A Glimpse into Hell, or Fear
INV-9788
Elihu Vedder (American, 1836–1923)1888–98
A Glimpse into Hell, or Fear
Elihu Vedder (American, 1836–1923) →paintingamerican arts
Date
1888–98
Medium
Oil on canvas
Dimensions
40 × 52.4 cm (15 3/4 × 20 5/8 in.)
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Location
Chicago, IL
Credit
George F. Harding Collection
Elihu Vedder probed questions of the mind in his paintings and illustrations, creating complex, visionary compositions often centered on literary or spiritual subject matter. The lunette A Glimpse into Hell, or Fear is drawn from 14th-century poet Dante Alighieri’s Inferno, the first part of his epic poem, Divine Comedy. Here, five females confront the gate of Hell. Beholding such a sight, they express apprehension and fear, accentuated by the swirling forms of their draperies and hair. Vedder focused on the figures’ psychological tension, rather than the spectacle of the environs itself, depicting only a sliver of fiery flames at bottom left.
Also notable
Works in the same vein
