Gates of Hell: Rodin, Dante, Ghiberti and the literary nature of the plan

Abstract

The article deals with artistic conception of Rodin’s Gates of Hell (1880–1917). The "Divine Comedy" by Dante is served the basis of interpretation of the theme, absorbed also complicated intertext – first of all there are figurative and verbal sources of the nineteenth century. Author of the article pays a principal attention to the plastical expressiveness of master’s language and to the literary aspect of his intention and concludes that this latter has played an important part to realize a general conception. Such correlation of Image and Word is evidence of beginnings of new European sculpture traits which bring the Gates of Hell together with discoveries in a sphere of psychological novel of the second half of the nineteenth century and lead to emergence of new forms of art.