My 9 Circles of Hell
Coursework for Literature Humanities (Apr 2023)
Creative Direction, Styling, Photography, Hair & Makeup
Coursework for Literature Humanities (Apr 2023)
Creative Direction, Styling, Photography, Hair & Makeup
“My 9 Circles of Hell” is a series of 9 photos that depict each circle of hell in Dante’s Inferno: Limbo, Lust, Gluttony, Greed, Anger, Heresy, Violence, Fraud, and Treachery. Throughout his poem, Dante provides us with vivid descriptions of each circle of hell, including the setting, notable characters in each circle, and the type of punishment. In each photo, I not only attempted to reflect Dante’s imagery and incorporate props to symbolize each sin, but I also aimed to capture my feelings while reading about each circle and the scene that was painted in my imagination. I directed everything about the photo shoot including the lighting, costume, makeup, and props, as well as the modeling and designing of the layout.
1. Limbo
I wanted to emphasize the idea of blindness, as Dante describes the sinners as being “blind” by not knowing God in Canto 4. Furthermore, the souls are eternally bound to Limbo, which I symbolize with the bondage around my wrist and throat. This is the only photo where my eyes and face are covered, which makes it stand out from the rest.
2. Lust
Regarding lust and love, Dante critiques the incorrect belief that love deprives us of free will through the story of Francesca da Rimini. Thus, I wanted to represent how love “seized” Francesca’s heart by portraying myself as a doll or a puppet as if I didn’t have control over my actions. My wrists are attached to strings from above as if a puppeteer is controlling my limbs, and my hands are limp as if I were a doll. I represented the idea of love with heart-shaped eyeshadow and kiss marks over my face and neck.
3. Gluttony
I interpreted the idea of gluttony both literally and figuratively. Gluttony can mean excessive eating, which I portray by shoving a fistful of cake into my mouth as if I couldn’t control my appetite. For Dante, gluttony is not only about hunger for food but also for dominion and power, which I allude to with the business attire. I attempted a strong, masculine look with slicked-back hair, sharp eyeliner, and contour around my jawline and cheekbones.
4. Greed
In Inferno, greed is described as an obsession with material things and worldly possessions. I attempted to represent the ideas of opulence and wealth through the color gold, as well as the extravagant sequin dress and the excessive amount of jewelry. I also use the color purple for the dress and the print, as it is associated with royalty and wealth.
5. Anger
In the fifth circle, Dante describes the souls as appearing red due to the eternal flame, which I achieve with the lighting. In this photo, I specifically aim to represent internal anger or sullenness. The description of the sullen souls sounded “heavy” – they are described as sluggish, wedged in slime, sighing, defeated, and bitter in the mud. I represent this internal pain with tears, which physically weigh on me as I am holding them in my palms.
6. Heresy
Dante’s definition of heresy is the rejection of God by denying the immortality of souls. The crown represents the pursuit of pleasure and worldly things, subscribing to Epicurean philosophy, rather than living a life to glorify God. Rather than literally representing his description of the sixth circle, I took a personal interpretation of heresy by using irony in this photo. I was specifically inspired by the medieval art of the Virgin Mary with the veil, the prominence of the color white in the photo, and the crown that is parallel to the gold halo around saints in Medieval art. However, this is juxtaposed with the tears and the pained expression, as Dante critiques Epicurean beliefs.
7. Violence
Dante describes 5 different types of violence: violence against neighbors, against oneself against nature, against God, and against art. In this photo, I specifically aim to represent violence against oneself, or suicide. Dante views this as immoral because the soul is abandoning the body, which I tried to capture using a low shutter speed. Furthermore, I am holding a key, which is an allusion to Pier della Vigna in Canto 12, who held the keys to his king’s heart but later committed suicide.
8. Fraud
The overarching theme for this photo is duality, as two-facedness is a key aspect of the fraudulent. I represent the idea of duality using mirrors, as I literally have two faces: one looking into the mirror and one in the mirror image. I also used clown-inspired makeup with colorful eyeshadow and bold earrings to represent the idea of trickery.
9. Treachery
Dante describes the souls in the ninth circle as being trapped in a frozen lake. For this photo, I used makeup to represent frostbite with white mascara, blue eyeshadow, and purple lipstick. Depending on the severity of their sin, the souls are at different depths in the lake, and those who committed the most serious level of treachery are neck-deep in the lake. I represented this with blue eyeshadow on my neck and the hand on my throat to represent the souls’ inability to speak and their complete encapsulation in the ice.
︎ instagram: @claire.sk
︎ claire.p.kim@columbia.edu
︎ claire.p.kim@columbia.edu