Visitors to Park West Gallery^® in Southfield will go on a surrealistic journey as they view Salvador Dali's illustrations of "The Divine Comedy." The colorful works may either frighten or inspire but are always fascinating in the one-of-a-kind Dali style.

In his poem "The Divine Comedy" Dante Alighieri was guided through Hell, Purgatory and Paradise.

In "The Divine Comedy," the current exhibit at Park West Gallery^®, 29469 Northwestern Highway in Southfield, surrealist master Salvador Dali guides the viewer on that same journey.

The display, continuing through March 4, features more than 50 works illustrating the 14th century poem. Dali made the watercolor paintings used as models for the series between 1951 and 1960. The woodcuts were engraved by hand between 1961 and 1964. The collection is considered to be Dali's finest achievement in the graphic arts.

Park West^®'s layout leads you on a winding route, enhancing the feeling of going on a journey.

The title of "The Divine Comedy" refers to the search for the "divine," of spiritual salvation, and to the classical dramatic form of comedy, in which life's problems are resolved in a happy ending.

With Dante as the main character, the poem explores the theme of life after death. The story begins with him in a dark wood. He meets the Roman poet Virgil, who offers to serve as his guide out of the forest and through the underworld.

Dante and Virgil descend into Hell, filled with masses of suffering people who are punished for their sins by monsters, devils and other creatures. The two emerge on a beach at the island of Purgatory, a mountain covered with bright terraces where the dead seek forgiveness for their sins.

At the top of Mount Purgatory, Virgil gives Dante a new guide, Beatrice. She leads Dante to a state of enlightenment, and he meets the souls of the blessed. Arriving at the throne of God, Dante glimpses for a moment the Divine Glory.

Dali made a new distinctly surrealist interpretation of the story. Instead of brooding engravings, he made illustrations filled with light and color that always fascinate, whether terrifying or inspiring the viewer.

One image, "Men Who Devour Themselves," features faces that seem to be melted like the timepieces in Dali's famous "Persistence of Memory."

This is a world alternately strange and serene. Some creatures are faceless or hooded. Some bodies writhe, others stand tranquilly. Skies may be blood-red, or misty with soft color. Serpents fly, and angels blow trumpets. "Fallen Angel" has a body resembling furniture with drawers. Beatrice's face is pure and calm.

Human shapes make up the tress in a forest of those who committed suicide. "The Dishonest" shows a creature with his tongue removed from his head and resting on a ledge away from his body. In another image, a traitor is pulled from the earth by the hair on his head, his face and skull stretched and contorted.

Other scenes feature gentle or magnificent beauty. Creatures are often calm or in splendor, rather than in agony. The mood is hopeful, rather than despairing. "The Last Oratories of Virgil" shows two figures in a lush garden. "The Angel of the Sun" wears a gown that somehow suggests both sculpted stone and soft, flowing cloth.