_Und jeder Leib wird an den Baum gehangen _ Den hier zur ew’gen Haft sein Geist bekam_ - Das Selbstmörderdickicht im siebten Kreis der Hölle 

Editor: This haunting ink drawing on paper is titled "_Und jeder Leib wird an den Baum gehangen _ Den hier zur ew\u2019gen Haft sein Geist bekam_ - Das Selbstm\u00f6rderdickicht im siebten Kreis der H\u00f6lle," an evocative mouthful created by Baccio Bandinelli. The contorted figures, rendered in such detail, immediately evoke a sense of unease. How do you interpret the dramatic tension in this piece? Curator: It pulls at your gut, doesn’t it? Bandinelli plunges us right into Dante's vision of the seventh circle of Hell. Look at the sheer physical anguish etched onto these figures, suspended and trapped. The density of line work almost suffocates the space, mirroring the soul-crushing confinement of eternal damnation. Do you feel the almost sculptural quality of the forms? Bandinelli, a sculptor himself, is imbuing his drawings with that same heft and dynamism. Editor: I do, especially in the muscularity he conveys through ink alone. Is the title integral to understanding it, or do you think the drawing stands on its own? Curator: It's a bit of both, really. The title anchors it to Dante, giving us that vital literary context, a key into Bandinelli's thought process, while also heightening the emotional impact. Without it, the power of the piece is still there, just slightly… adrift. It might be, to take a whimsical tangent, like understanding a good joke versus just appreciating the laughter it evokes. Editor: That’s a good analogy! I see how the title sharpens the experience. Thanks; I'll definitely remember that. Curator: The pleasure was all mine, to dance for a bit in the shadowy landscape Bandinelli mapped.