The Circle of the Lustful: Paolo and Francesca 1820 - 1832

Editor: This etching, "The Circle of the Lustful: Paolo and Francesca," by William Blake, made between 1820 and 1832, is teeming with figures swirling in a vortex. I find it overwhelming, almost suffocating. What do you see in it? Curator: Overwhelming is a wonderful word. Blake invites us to feel the very sensation he’s depicting: the dizzying, endless torment of souls trapped in their passions. He’s like a fevered dreamer, transcribing the contours of our internal struggles, wouldn't you say? Editor: Yes, a fevered dream! The figures all seem tangled together, unable to escape. Is that Dante, standing off to the side? Curator: That’s exactly right! Blake illustrated Dante’s Inferno, and here, we see Dante witnessing the second circle of hell. Paolo and Francesca were lovers murdered by Francesca's husband and are now doomed to whirl endlessly in the tempest. It's as though Blake, with his incredible intensity, pulls us into Dante's journey. Do you feel that pull? Editor: I do, especially in the circular composition. It’s a vortex that draws your eye in. And the style feels almost medieval, despite being Romantic. Curator: The almost sculptural treatment of the figures suggests a gothic sensibility, almost Byzantine, in its flattened perspective, don't you think? It certainly amplifies the eternal quality, like an icon of suffering. Editor: I hadn’t thought about it that way. It makes the print feel even more timeless. Thank you. Curator: And thank you. To look at it through your eyes reminded me again of Blake’s boundless capacity to weave his own visionary take into the threads of past and present.