Paradiso Canto I

It was to celebrate the 6th anniversary of Dante's death that in 1920 the project for a monumental edition of Dante's work came to life, financed by the lawyer Rino Valdamieri, together with other private investors. Amos Nattini executed the edition: he worked on the illustrations, the typographic aspects, the creation of the characters and the technical aspects. He therefore made 100 watercolors, one for each canticle, which were subsequently lithographed. 1000 copies were printed in hand-made rag paper 140x100 cm with leather cover of white calf. It took 20 years and 7 months to complete the artwork. Nattini also wanted a lectern to contain the three volumes weighing about 27 kg each: it was made by the cabinetmaker Eugenio Quarti, based on a drawing by architects Giò Ponti and Tommaso Buzzi.

Paradiso, Canto I. Dante and Beatrice ascend to Heaven. The composition of the pictorial space is essential and sees the Earth contrasting with Heaven. The green of the Earth Garden located in the left corner of the lower part is contrasted by the sphere of the Sun located in the upper right corner. At the center of the composition Beatrice and Dante are turned to the bliss of the sun. Both wear red draped dresses and their heads are covered with white drapes: the painter notably changed the color of Beatrice's cloak in Paradise. Described by Dante as green in Canto XXX of Purgatory and thus depicted by Nattini in the images relating to Purgatory, it becomes a strong blue color. We cannot fail to compare this iconography to the classic one depicting the Virgin: once again the painter draws inspiration from tradition to represent the woman loved by the poet.