Solomon Teitelbaum, The Wandering Soul of Dante (2024)

“On 12-30 November 2024, Pylimo Gallery (Pylimo St 30, Vilnius) hosted Solomon Teitelbaum’s (b. 1972) exhibition ‘The Wandering Soul of Dante.’ Across fifteen oil-on-canvas compositions, Teitelbaum focuses on the Virgil-Dante relationship and the hope of purgatorial purification in the present-day Edenic garden marked by vibrant splashes of autumn colour. The Lithuanian theatre director Eimuntas Nekrošius, who produced plays based on Inferno and Purgatorio (2012) and Paradiso (2013), takes on the role of Virgil, guiding Dante through the landscapes of autumnal Vilnius. The Vilnia metamorphoses into the River Eunoë, and recognisable urban landmarks (Vilnius Kenesa, St Anne’s Church, 19th-century wooden houses) become a purgatorial setting for the wandering poet – a stand-in for the painter himself, who has professed to identify with Dante’s exilic condition.”    —Contributor Aistė Kiltinavičiūtė

Pictured above is an image of Virgil blessing Dante in the Garden of Eden.

See more about the artist here.

Contributed by Aistė Kiltinavičiūtė