Pericle Fazzini - Dante and Virgil

The work is inspired by the Divine Comedy, more precisely by the moment of the meeting between Dante and Virgil, narrated in the first canto of the Inferno.

This bas-relief by Pericle Fazzini is exemplary in demonstrating the Grottammare artist's exploration of compositional rhythm rather than an objective description of reality. Indeed, one can notice how the depiction of the figures is generic, marked by a strong iconic character and symbolic connotations. The sculptor is more interested in instilling a swirling, undulating rhythm into the space of the work through sinuous, elongated figures. The depiction of Virgil's robe also contributes to triggering this movement, with its folds suggesting an ascending motion. The accentuated dynamism of the entire space completes the picture. Fazzini leaves not a single centimeter of the frame static, traversed by the sculptural elements of jagged rocks, the choppy sea, and the leaden sky.

Pericle Fazzini was born in Grottammare in 1913. His entire career was spent in Rome, where he passed away in 1987. He trained at the Scuola Libera del Nudo. His first major commission came in 1931, when he won a competition to create a monument to Cardinal Dusmet. In 1938, he opened his studio on Via Margutta, where he would remain for the rest of his life. He participated in the Rome Quadrennial and the Venice Biennale. His sculptures are held in important national and international collections, including the Hakone Open Air Museum in Japan, the Peggy Guggenheim Collection in Venice, the Tate Gallery in London, the Galleria Nazionale d'Arte Moderna in Rome, the Art Institute of Chicago, the Momat in Tokyo, and the Museum of Contemporary Art in Montreal.

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