Dante and Art: Beyond ekphrasis · According to the classical tradition, in one of the sculptor Phidias’ most impressive works he included an image of himself amongst the characters portrayed on Athena’s shield. The sculptor thus left his mark on his creation, in a most dynamic way, since the self-portrait, set alongside his patron Pericles and the other prominent figures, was perfectly integrated into a sort of visual narration. Dante follows a similar process when he tries to transcend poetry in the Divine Comedy in order to astonish his readers, providing us with examples of ekphrastic descriptions. In turn, ekphrasis conjures up stories, calls forth myths, and makes the beholders identify themselves with the story that is alluded to, which they can see in their mind’s eye: images interact with the narrative. The Divine Comedy displays a vast array of these devices, which are a sign of Dante’s appropriation and command of the art forms of his contemporaries. The author’s presence in the context of his masterpiece has a symbolic and diegetic value, which determines and coordinates this multimedial practice.
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