Alexander Tovborg | Paradise

Dante Alighieri’s Divine Comedy from 1320 has been a close companion in Alexander Tovborg’s life and artistic practice. The Paradise portfolio of 33 etchings completes Tovborg’s print project for Dante’s Divine Comedy, which in total includes 92 prints. 

In Tovborg’s Paradise, figures emerge into the light from the darkness of outer space. The motifs radiate from the black paper in delicate and evocative colours, reflecting Dante’s upward journey in space, detached from life on earth. With the same ease as Dante’s ascension into astronomical space, Tovborg depicts the souls Dante meets on his path towards God.

The Comedy is divided into three books: Inferno, Purgatorio, and Paradiso. Inferno is an explicit rendition of the descent into Hell. Described as a voyage through nine downward circles. Purgatorio describes Dante’s upward journey on a mountain island, crossing the seven terraces of suffering and growth, corresponding to the seven deadly sins, culminating in Earthly Paradise at the top of the mountain. In the third book, Paradiso, Dante travels through paradise in space, guided by his great love, Beatrice.

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