THE PAINTER F. J. FEATHAM HONOURS DANTE AT AN ANNIVERSARY EXHIBITION IN ROME
This year marks the 700th anniversary of the death of the poet Dante in 1321, and throughout the year events are being organised in more than 70 towns and villages in Italy in honour of the poet who is venerated as the father of the Italian language.
As part of these events, the important international exhibition "Premio Dante Alighieri" (Dante Alighieri Award) takes place 3-13 December at La Pigna Gallery inside the historic Maffei Marescotti Palace, built in 1583. The exhibition is under the auspices of the Municipality of Rome and the Lazio Region and the opening will take place in the presence of Princess Ginevra Giovanelli. The painter Frederick J. Featham has accepted an invitation to participate in the exhibition with three paintings, and will attend the opening.
Dante's masterpiece is the "Divine Comedy", the epic, narrative poem considered one of the most important works in the history of world literature. Dante, in the first person, describes an imaginary journey to Hell and Purgatory (with Virgil as his guide), and to Paradise (with Beatrice, the great love of his life, as his guide). Dante's Paradise consists of nine spheres, the highest of which is the Empyrean, the dwelling place of God. Mr. Featham, in one of the paintings he will exhibit, entitled "Behold! The Empyrean," depicts the moment when Beatrice shows the Empyrean to Dante.
