Dante's Infernal Fractals

It is one of my early memories as child: I reached high at my parents' library and took the book, bound in green leather with golden letters on the cover: Dante's Inferno (Η Κόλαση του Δάντη in greek). The word "Inferno" was absolutely fascinating for a child, I guess you know the feeling. I would not read all the text, of course -- I was overwhelmed by the amazing illustrations by Gustav Doré and spent hours examining every detail in each picture. They were etched in my mind, having a great effect and influence on how I enjoyed art since then.

Gustave Doré's (1832-1883) illustrations and Dante's Divine Comedy have become so intimately connected that even today, nearly 150 years after their initial publication, the artist's rendering of the poet's text still determines our vision of the Commedia.

-- Aida Audeh Associate Professor of Art History, Hamline University.

Some of the pictures used for inspiration, from this gallery.

So, when I started my JWildFire session today and created some basic fractals, I immediately remembered those pictures. Having Doré's illustrations (of Inferno as well as Purgatory & Paradise) in mind, I journeyed in the world of fractals, trying to capture aspects that are close to the themes found in those books. The shapes of clouds in heaven, the celestial choirs, the pits of hell, are some of the elements that appear in the fractals below.

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The Shoggoth Cycle:

#1 - The Hunt for the Shoggoth is Over
#2 - Discovery of the Living Fire
#3- Infusing the Fire Agent to Shoggoth Matter
#4 - The Evil Church
#5 - Empowering the Fiery Agent