Canto XVI. Circle 7 (Round 3) / The Violent Against Nature c. 15th century

Curator: This page is "Canto XVI. Circle 7 (Round 3) / The Violent Against Nature," from an anonymous edition of Dante's Inferno. The claustrophobia almost leaps off the page, doesn't it? Editor: It does! The text is so dense, and the illustration feels squeezed in. What do you see in this piece? Curator: The chaotic energy of the woodcut contrasts sharply with the rigid order of the text. The lack of negative space heightens the tension, mirroring the torment of the souls depicted. Is this visual tension intentional, or is it a product of the printing limitations of the time? Editor: That's a fascinating question! It makes me think about how the medium itself can become part of the message. Maybe the artist wanted to reflect the chaos of hell in the very design of the page? Curator: Exactly! And perhaps we’re feeling something of what Dante felt himself, observing these circles of Hell.