The Souls on the StyxAsmus Jacob Carstens

This composition (c.1800) portrays Charon ferrying souls across the Styx, merging mythological narrative with early Romantic intensity. Inspired by Dante and Michelangelo, it fills the boat with muscular, twisting figures that recall antique reliefs. Carstens used the classical body to express moral struggle, bridging Neoclassical form and Romantic emotion.