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William Utermohlen

(1933 - 2007)

Dante Cycle 1964 - 1966

In 1964 Bill began an ambitious project to produce one large scale painting for each of the 34 cantos in the first part of Dante Alighieri's "Divine Comedy", the "Inferno". Each canvas was 152 x 122 cm, throughout the painting cycle a huge range of techniques are demonstrated from fine anatomical draughtsmanship, in the manner of the early Renaissance masters, to hard edge abstraction and Pop Art.

Most of the cycle are shown below, however the only extant photos of some of the works are of too low quality to present.

Canto I - Good Friday, oil on canvas, 152.5 x 122cm

Canto I - Good Friday, oil on canvas, 152.5 x 122cm

Canto II - Dusk, oil on canvas, 152.5 x 122cm

Canto II - Dusk, oil on canvas, 152.5 x 122cm

Canto III - Vada Lavida, oil on canvas, 152.5 x 122cm

Canto III - Vada Lavida, oil on canvas, 152.5 x 122cm

Canto IV - Limbo (Six Poets), oil on canvas, 152.5 x 122cm

Canto IV - Limbo (Six Poets), oil on canvas, 152.5 x 122cm

Canto V - Francesca and Paulo, oil on canvas, 152.5 x 122cm

Canto V - Francesca and Paulo, oil on canvas, 152.5 x 122cm

Canto VI - The Third Circle, oil on canvas, 152.5 x 122cm

Canto VI - The Third Circle, oil on canvas, 152.5 x 122cm

Canto VII - Plutus, oil on canvas, 152.5 x 122cm

Canto VII - Plutus, oil on canvas, 152.5 x 122cm

Canto VIII - Fallen Angels, oil on canvas, 152.5 x 122cm

Canto VIII - Fallen Angels, oil on canvas, 152.5 x 122cm

Canto IX - The Furies, oil on canvas, 152.5 x 122cm

Canto IX - The Furies, oil on canvas, 152.5 x 122cm

Canto X - Farinata, oil on canvas, 152.5 x 122cm

Canto X - Farinata, oil on canvas, 152.5 x 122cm

Canto XI - The Rest, oil on canvas, 152.5 x 122cm

Canto XI - The Rest, oil on canvas, 152.5 x 122cm

Canto XII - The Minotaur, oil on canvas, 152.5 x 122cm

Canto XII - The Minotaur, oil on canvas, 152.5 x 122cm

Canto XIII - The Harpy (Out of the House of Caesar), oil on canvas, 152.5 x 122cm

Canto XIII - The Harpy (Out of the House of Caesar), oil on canvas, 152.5 x 122cm

Canto XIV - Sterile Bed, oil on canvas, 152.5 x 122cm

Canto XIV - Sterile Bed, oil on canvas, 152.5 x 122cm

Canto XV - Brunetto Latini, oil on canvas, 152.5 x 122cm

Canto XV - Brunetto Latini, oil on canvas, 152.5 x 122cm

Canto XVI - Three Florentines, oil on canvas, 152.5 x 122cm

Canto XVI - Three Florentines, oil on canvas, 152.5 x 122cm

Canto XVII - Geryon, oil on canvas, 152.5 x 122cm

Canto XVII - Geryon, oil on canvas, 152.5 x 122cm

Canto XVIII - Year of Jubilee, oil on canvas, 152.5 x 122cm

Canto XVIII - Year of Jubilee, oil on canvas, 152.5 x 122cm

Canto XIX - The Mouths of Greed (Simony), oil on canvas, 152.5 x 122cm

Canto XIX - The Mouths of Greed (Simony), oil on canvas, 152.5 x 122cm

Canto XXI - An Elder of Santa Zita, oil on canvas, 152.5 x 122cm

Canto XXI - An Elder of Santa Zita, oil on canvas, 152.5 x 122cm

Canto XXII - Sometimes With Trumpets Sometimes With Bells, oil on canvas, 152.5 x 122cm

Canto XXII - Sometimes With Trumpets Sometimes With Bells, oil on canvas, 152.5 x 122cm

Canto XXIII - In Silence and In Solitude, oil on canvas, 152.5 x 122cm

Canto XXIII - In Silence and In Solitude, oil on canvas, 152.5 x 122cm

Canto XXIV - The Dust Again, oil on canvas, 152.5 x 122cm

Canto XXIV - The Dust Again, oil on canvas, 152.5 x 122cm

Canto XXV - Cacus, oil on canvas, 152.5 x 122cm

Canto XXV - Cacus, oil on canvas, 152.5 x 122cm

Canto XXVI - Ulysses to Diomedes, oil on canvas, 152.5 x 122cm

Canto XXVI - Ulysses to Diomedes, oil on canvas, 152.5 x 122cm

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