LitSalon Shorts #1: Visualising Dante's Florence

Artist Sean Forester, who studied both classical painting in Florence and literature at Cambridge, will inaugurate our new series of ‘Lit Salon Shorts’ with a presentation on Dante, Florence and the visual arts. Sean has offered a variety of ‘Reading Great Paintings’ studies within the London Literary Salon and in February will lead a study of Dante’s Inferno (this is already fully booked, but please email us if you would be interested in joining a future study of The Divine Comedy or in the possibility of joining a LitSalon travel study visiting Florence).

Introducing this event, Sean explains:

‘Fixed to a stone tower in the centre of Florence is a plaque that reads, “Io fui nato e cresciuto/ sovra il bel fiume d’Arno alla gran villa” (“I was born and grew up in this great city by the beautiful river Arno”) – Dante, Inferno  XXIII , 94-95. Plaques from The Divine Comedy are placed throughout Florence to commemorate moments in the poem and in Dante’s life.  It’s a reminder of how literature is connected to a sense of place, of how enriching it can be to experience Dante in Italy, Joyce in Dublin, or Proust in Paris. The great works of literature we discuss at the LitSalon spark our imagination. Some of us imagine a character or scene and picture them in our mind’s eye, so it’s fascinating to see what painters and sculptors have created based on novels, plays and epic poems.

‘Connecting Dante to Florence and to visual art is a passion of mine, and that’s what we will explore in this presentation.’

Sean’s presentation will focus in particular on the stories of Paolo and Francesca (Inferno Canto V) and Count Ugolino (Inferno Canto XXXIII).

JOINING THE EVENT:

• This is the first in a new series of ‘LitSalon Shorts’, presentations in which our facilitators share their enthusiasm for an aspect of literature or culture with the wider Salon community.
• LitSalon Shorts will be free of charge and open to everyone, please feel free to share details with family and friends (who are also welcome to subscribe to our newsletter if they would like to be kept up-to-date with what we’re up to).
• Led by Sean Forester, there will be opportunities for participants to contribute views and questions following his presentation.
• Sunday 28 January 2024, 5.00-6.15 pm (UK) on Zoom, this event is offered free of charge, please register using the booking form below.