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Salvador Dali Divine Comedy woodblock engraving "The Logician Devil"
Salvador Dali Divine Comedy The Logician Devil


 
$400.00


Item Code: 5457

Description
 
Inferno - plate 27
Medium: woodblock engraving. During the 1950's Salvador Dali was commissioned by the Italian Government to illustrate The Divine Comedy by Dante Alighieri. Dali created 101 watercolors to represent scenes from Dante's travels through Inferno, Purgatory and Paradise. However, the extravagantly surrealistic art works were not well received by the Italian public at the time and the government canceled the project. Fortunately, French publisher Joseph Foret was interested and work began on the engraving of woodblocks, chosen as the best medium to represent the nuances of Dali's compositions into print format. The woodblocks were destroyed after printing.

This impression is a special decomposition, printed on BFK Rives wove paper and issued in 1964 by Les Heures Claires in a much smaller edition than the total edition of 4765. During the printing process, multiple wood blocks were used for each color separation. Deluxe suites were issued by the publisher containing a few decomposition proofs -- this particular proof shows the print in it's nearly finished state. Proofs such as this are rare and are sought after by collectors.

The image measures 9 3/4 x 7 inches (247 x 180 mm) with full original margins; the full sheet measuring 13 x 10 1/4 inches (330 x 263 mm). The Divine Comedy is held to be one of Dali's masterpieces and the artist himself considered this series to be among his most important works. A rich, magnificent impression. Not signed.