The Abyss of Hell 1480

Editor: This is "The Abyss of Hell," an ink drawing by Sandro Botticelli from about 1480. Looking at it, I immediately think of architectural plans, but for something truly terrifying. What's your take on this Botticelli? Curator: Oh, this vortex of doom! For me, it's less architectural, more of a waking nightmare, elegantly rendered. Botticelli's detail is exquisite; each layer promises fresh torment. It’s his visual interpretation of Dante's Inferno. Dante was always playing around with philosophy and mathematics to reach ultimate clarity, and it really struck a nerve with artists who want to be very, very exact about these visions of hell. What do you make of the detail versus the overall design? Editor: I see what you mean about the nightmare quality! The more you look, the more disturbing figures you find. It’s intricately disgusting! But what strikes me is how scientific it seems for something so fantastical. Almost like he's mapping Hell, like a new continent. Is he trying to make the unreal, real? Curator: Precisely! He's trying to give tangible form to the unimaginable. I suspect if we stare into the abyss long enough, the abyss will begin to offer us a new and awful perspective of Renaissance worldviews... And it reminds us, in a time of so much artistic achievement, what they were all running from: death, damnation, and divine judgement. Gives you the shivers, doesn't it? Editor: Definitely shivers! It’s like a beautifully crafted, chilling reminder of mortality. Curator: A reminder, and a little thrill... like riding a rollercoaster into oblivion.