In 1957, the Italian government commissioned Salvador Dalí to create 100 watercolors to illustrate Dante’s Divine Comedy, to coincide with the 700th anniversary of the famed poet’s birth. They quickly regretted their choice when the Italian public balked at having such an honor bestowed on a Spaniard. The project was canceled, but Dalí held up his end of the bargain anyway, creating images that run the gamut from gorgeous and soft to frankly terrifying. The Rumpus pointed us their way this morning, and we’ve collected a few of our favorites after the jump. Check them out, and if you find yourself craving more surrealist hellscapes, head here for a complete set of Dalí’s illustrations.
“Fraud,” Salvador Dalí
“The Two Crowds of the Lustful,” Salvador Dalí
“The Simoniac,” Salvador Dalí
“Cerberus,” Salvador Dalí
“The Wood and the Suicide,” Salvador Dalí
“The Reign of the Penitents,” Salvador Dalí
“Reassurance,” Salvador Dalí
“The Guiding Angel,” Salvador Dalí
“The Sodomites,” Salvador Dalí
“The Delightful Mount,” Salvador Dalí