Kristina Olson (2017)
In the early 2000s, Sandow Birk began his project of illustrating the “Divine Comedy,” translating the 14th-century Italian setting into a 21st-century American urban vernacular. We are thrilled to be collaborating with Mr. Birk by displaying his work in the context of a reception history of illustrations of the poem.
Presented here are his 3 paintings of the realms of the Dantean afterlife – each canticle features a selection of curated Birk illustrations with captions written by Kristina Olson of George Mason University and, when relevant, corresponding engravings by the 19th-century master, Gustave Doré, one of Sandow Birk’s artistic inspirations.
-Akash Kumar
Inferno
Purgatorio
Paradiso
Image Credit: For the original illustrations, see: Dante’s Divine Comedy. Illustrated by Sandow Birk. Text adapted by Marcus Sanders and Sandow Birk. San Francisco: Chronicle Books, 2004-2005.
Recommended Citation: Olson, Kristina. “Birk Illustrations.” Digital Dante. New York, NY: Columbia University Libraries, 2017. https://digitaldante.columbia.edu/image/birk-illustrations/
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