Fidelia and Speranza is a 1776 painting by Benjamin West. It is a neoclassical depiction of a scene from the poem The Faerie Queene by Edmund Spenser. Subject and analysis The neoclassical style oil on canvas painting Fidelia and Speranza portrays a scene from the epic poem The Faerie Queene, written by Edmund Spenser. Together Fidelia, representing faith, is holding the New Testament while her sister Speranza; representing hope, wait at the entry of the House of Holiness for the arrival of the Red Cross Knight. The knight, representing humanity, is lead through the ominous landscape by Una who represents spirituality. West depicts the two sisters in classical dress. Their elegant gestures and graceful contrapposto reveal West's, an American, admiration of the classical sculpture and artwork of the European old masters. The central focus of the painting are the two sisters elevated on the stairway. West’s uses the lines from the sister’s tilted heads down to the landing, upon which they stand, to create the traditional pyramid structure that subtlety states the stability and eternal truth of the Christian virtues faith and hope. The high contrast of dark and light color throughout the painting emphasizes the battle between good and evil in humanity. This is represented in the opposing colors of the Red Cross Knight and Una’s horses, as well as, the growing light in the sky illuminating the doorway of the House of Holiness in contrast to the dark interior. The artist makes special note of the impending light overcoming the sky by reflecting it in the eyes of Speranza who is facing the doorway versus Fildelia’s subdued eyes that are turned away from the entry. The brightest color is the iridescent white of Fidelia’s robe, likely the source of the radiance surrounding her head and symbolizes the purity of faith. Again in contrast to her sister’s light purple or violet dress that is covered by a blue-green robe and bound by an orange sash. The violet color represents numerous religious ideals, such as, The Sacrament of Penance and Reconciliation and furthers the spiritual context of the piece. The foreground shows a landscape partially covered by dark clouds that are receding, almost as if the fluffy bright white clouds are pushing them off of the canvas edge. This artistic impression coincides with the humanity and spirituality, represented by knight and Una, approach toward the House of Holiness suggesting a