"Midway on our life's journey I found myself in a dark wood, For the right way was lost." - Dante Alighieri
The opening line of Dante's Inferno sets up the Divine Comedy’s epic, allegorical journey through hell, purgatory and heaven. Everything about the story, structure, and poetry aims for symmetry and balance, and it's no accident that the poem begins exactly midway in the narrator's life, his soul balanced precariously between light and dark.
Despite its overt theological themes, the Divine Comedy has plenty of humanist wisdom. We especially love this first line for its relatability: Who hasn't felt lost on life's journey? And whatever one’s spiritual convictions may be, there's no doubt that the choices we make cumulatively tilt the world toward a better or worse future.
In our illustration, structural outlined trees suggest a disorienting maze that leads toward fewer and fewer choices as they lead up or down. The center suggests a compass pointing in opposite directions, and is demarcated by 9 circles above (the heavenly spheres) and 9 circles below (the circles of the Inferno). The entire structure resembles a wide-open eye, trying to make sense of the path ahead.
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Any 3 prints for $48 (regularly $72)
Code: 3PRINTS
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Obvious State is a creative studio and publisher founded by Nichole and Evan Robertson in 2011.
We make bold, illustrated editions and fine art drawn from the classics.
Our books and prints are available in our shop and in bookstores and boutiques nationwide.
Our work has been featured at The Folger Shakespeare Library, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, The American Writers Museum, The Emily Dickinson Museum, The Library of Congress, The Getty Museum, The Museum of Contemporary Art and more.
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Provocative visuals paired with punctuated language, full of surprising visual metaphors, subtext, and insider nudges that reveal themselves slowly.
Our pocket editions are portable art objects made to collect, share, and inspire moments of quiet reflection in an overstimulated digital world.
We’re drawn to language that has stood the test of time, insights that strike a chord, poetry that stretches the imagination, and philosophy that prompts critical thinking.
