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Inferno

1908
Not on view
This painting’s title refers to Dante Alighieri’s medieval epic of a journey through hell. Although Stuck employed traditional symbols of the underworld—a snake, a demon, and a flaming pit—the dissonant colors and stylized, exaggerated poses are strikingly modern. He designed the complementary frame. Stuck’s imagery was likely inspired by Auguste Rodin’s The Gates of Hell, particularly the figure of The Thinker. When Inferno debuted in an exhibition of contemporary German art at The Met in 1909, critics praised its "sovereign brutality." The picture bolstered Stuck’s reputation as a visionary artist unafraid to explore the dark side of the psyche.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Inferno
  • Artist: Franz von Stuck (German, Tettenweis 1863–1928 Munich)
  • Date: 1908
  • Medium: Oil on canvas
  • Dimensions: 50 3/4 × 82 1/2 in. (128.9 × 209.6 cm)
  • Classification: Paintings
  • Credit Line: Purchase, Bequest of Julia W. Emmons, by exchange; Walter and Leonore Annenberg Acquisitions Endowment Fund; Charles Hack and the Hearn Family Trust and Mugrabi Family Gifts; Louis V. Bell, Harris Brisbane Dick, Fletcher, and Rogers Funds and Joseph Pulitzer Bequest; Pfeiffer Fund; Theodocia and Joseph Arkus and several members of The Chairman's Council Gifts, 2017
  • Object Number: 2017.250
  • Curatorial Department: European Paintings

More Artwork

More Artwork
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Wounded centaur, Franz von Stuck German, Bronze, German
Wounded centaur
Franz von Stuck
Leyrer Foundry
19th century
Mounted Amazon, Franz von Stuck German, Bronze, German
Mounted Amazon
Franz von Stuck
Leyrer Foundry
19th century
Bacchanal
Franz von Stuck
1902
Trout Pond, Franz von Stuck German, Etching
Trout Pond
Franz von Stuck
1890–91
Study of the Left Arm and the Left Side of a Male Nude, Franz von Stuck German, Black chalk on blue paper
Study of the Left Arm and the Left Side of a Male Nude
Franz von Stuck
1875–1928

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