Dante and Virgil

The Frenchman William Adolphe Bouguereau is considered a representative of academic realism. "Dante and Virgil" shows two brilliant writers of world history in the underworld. But not in the center of the action are these two figures to see, but on the left edge of the picture, in the semi-darkness. Like confidants they stand close together, recognizable by the laurel wreath and profile. Like the viewer, the two seem appalled and equally captivated to attend a fight between two naked men. The illuminated figures, wedged together, evidently fight each other for life and death, their muscles are plastically recognizable, as in a sculpture. Maybe the left fighter is giving the second death blow to the second one. Almost in the dark you can see a dead figure in the right front image. Both the illumination achieved by a spot and the bright red on the horizon with a huge, flying devil create an incredible drama.