Purgatorio Canto X

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.

Purgatorio, Canto X. We are in the 1st frame, where the souls of the proud are located. The protagonists are the penitent souls bent under the weight of their pride. The artist captures this scene with an almost cinematic cut, which leaves plenty of room for the light blue background. Here we fully perceive the painter's ability to grasp the real data, of the anatomical forms of the bodies subjected to the effort, with the effects of light and shadow that make them sculptural. The composition is mainly based on diagonal lines that render the sense of motion and effort made by the souls more effectively. The background is an indefinite blue color that slopes downwards and the rocks are barely indicated. The colors help to recreate the pathos.