Between Heaven and Hell: A Moral Ascension

Reaching Within: What traditional art offers the heart

People are going to heaven or hell in “Heaven and Hell,” 1859, by Octave Tassaert. Oil on Canvas, 39 ⅜ inches by 27 ⅜ inches. Cleveland Museum of Art. Public Domain

Life is filled with many instances every day in which we must make a choice between good and evil. When evil is made to seem good and good evil, it is difficult to know whether we are making the right choices. Suspending us between heaven and hell, such choices require deep, thoughtful consideration.

Heaven and Hell

In the 19th century, a French painter named Octave Tassaert depicted a single woman’s suspension between good and evil in his painting “Heaven and Hell.” Dressed in green and white, the main female figure—whom we’ll call our protagonist—is in the upper-central portion of the composition. She covers her chest with both arms, crosses her legs, and casts a striking glance out at us.

People are ascending to heaven or falling down in “Heaven and Hell,” 1859, by Octave Tassaert. Oil on canvas, 39 ⅜ inches by 27 ⅜ inches. Cleveland Museum of Art. Public Domain