Study for the Ugolino Group 1840 - 1875

Here is the audio guide script for the artwork provided: This drawing is a study for the Ugolino Group, made by Jean-Baptiste Carpeaux, sometime in the mid-19th century. Observe Ugolino, a tragic figure from Dante's Inferno, surrounded by his starving sons. The figures writhe, embodying despair and anguish in a way that echoes ancient depictions of suffering. Consider the pose of Ugolino, a father in torment. This motif—the figure consumed by grief—reverberates through time. Recall the ancient Laocoön, struggling against serpents, or even figures in the Renaissance grappling with fate. These echoes aren't mere coincidences. The artist invokes a shared visual language, an unbroken chain of human expression. The emotional intensity, too, is part of this legacy. Carpeaux taps into our collective memory. He stirs primal fears and anxieties linked to helplessness. These echo in our minds, revealing the enduring power of archetypes that linger in our subconscious. And so, Ugolino's torment becomes part of an unending cycle. The symbols of suffering are revisited, reinterpreted, and carry through time, echoing through the ages.