Artist: Salvador Dali
Medium: Oil painting on wood panel (dimensions unknown)
Genre: Surrealist Art
Description: The setting for this painting is an early evening atmosphere with a marina blue sky. Two female figures are in the painting. One of the figures has drawers coming out of her right leg and one coming out of her chest. Both of the figures have unclear phallic shaped objects jutting out of their backs. These objects are supported by what appear to be a series of crutches. The first female figure seems to be stripped down to nothing but muscle tissue with the second figure holding something that I concluded to be a piece of meat or muscle tissue.
In the distance of the painting is a giraffe that is on fire. After reading further in to works by Dali, this image of the "burning giraffe" is seen Dali's film The Golden Age and again in the painting "The Invention of Monsters". Dali believed this image to be a premonition of war.
Review: Initially, I look at this painting and I'm actually kind of astounded that someone could think to create something so bizarre. When looking at this image, I recognize the "burning giraffe" from Dali's other work "The Invention of Monsters". The two figures are seemingly just wondering off into the vast emptiness of the world, without a clue that there is a giraffe on fire near by. After reading further into Dali and works by him, I found an interesting article piece pertaining to this painting. It tells how the artist relates this painting to psychology. A statement by Dali in the article says, “The only difference between immortal Greece and our era is Sigmund Freud who discovered that the human body, which in Greek times was merely neoplatonical, is now filled with secret drawers only to be opened through psychoanalysis." He is saying that the body and mind are full of secrets. Most of which are subconscious and can only be brought to the surface when the being is willing to submit to such things as psychoanalysis. Another interesting thing that I found out about this piece is that Dali saw the “burning giraffe” as a “premonition of war and great struggle”. This painting was created in 1937 and in five years later, in 1942, we entered our second world war. Jewish people struggled in Nazi Germany before and during this time.
This painting is one of my many favorites by the great artist Salvador Dali. His works have inspired me to always think outside of the box in any case and that things aren’t always at first what they appear to be, meaning that you should always look for the deeper meaning or cause.
Review By: Angela Whittington
Article used for statement can be found at: http://www.3d-mouseion.com/engels/sada_eng2.htm
9 comments:
Hi Angela. I enjoyed reading your review. I especially enjoyed the technical description and link to psychoanalysis. Technically, this is a great first review and probably "A" work. I do have a question to push the envelope. I am curious about your thoughts regarding the female subjects and the possible symbolism there. I agree with the connection to "struggle" and "war," but I wonder if the feminine stripped structure is significant in more psychoanalytical ways. What are your thoughts based on your knowledge of Dali and his works? -AmyLandrum
Amy,
There are several paintings by Dali that have women in them. Some are thought to be his wife. In a few other paintings, the women seem to be stripped down or deformed in some manner. I think that this has to do with how he viewed his relationship with Gala (his wife). I read a book last summer called "The Lives of the Muses" that explained relationships between nine women and their artist lovers or husbands. The bond between Salvador and Gala was incredible. So, I think that women in the paintings sometimes relate back to that relationship in how the stripped down women show how they had nothing to hide in the relationship and the deformed women showed that he would love her no matter what.
Also, I think that alot of the objects in the paintings have subconscious meanings. Like I said in the review, psychoanalysis can bring out alot in a person. Things that you may have not known were there or just haven't thought about them in a long time. These women could also signify a relationship he had with his mother. Maybe it wasn't the greatest relationship and the stripped woman could relate to how their relationship was stripped down to nothing.
Hi Angela. This is great. Thanks for taking a few extra minutes to discuss this further with me. I appreciate it. I had the opportunity to visit a Dali museum in Florida eight years ago - it was amazing. This is an "A" paper. Good work.
Amy.
The museum in St. Petersburg? I'm completely jealous!!!
I just wanted to inform you that after reading your description of the female subjects in this piece you had said the drawers are coming out of the right leg when infact they are coming out of the lefy leg just thought i would bring that to your attention
Dali was fascinated with the female form ever since childhood, which may explain why he chose to use female form as his main subject. I agree, personally. Females are just more interesting and have much more significance in society then that of men (in this particular piece). He continuously depicts his subjects in the late 30's and early 40's being held up by crutches which I think depict, as you mentioned, the symbolism of the overall "struggle" that society is faced with.
While reading "Man And His Symbols" (C. G. Jung pg 297-paperback) Part 4 written by Aniela Jaffe, reports on "The Burning Giraffe". ...."realizing the horror and symbolism of the end of all things"...
I personally find the placement of the drawers of symbolic importance. Esoteric mystical knowledge, "as above, so below -- as below, so above" man's lust and selfish reach and deepest desires (drawers leading towards man's sexual objects of desire) in the age of Pieces ("as below") is transformed to the higher self (drawers leading up the spine to the higher spiritual centers through soul individuation) in the New Age of Aquarius -- the age of higher spiritual enlightenment. Rendering a statement of personal transformation within each individual and thus the collective social psyche.
We kill our purely animal nature (Giraffe representing sublime ignorance) through an unstoppable fire of the soul (Giraffe on fire) as we are unwittingly transformed by the chaotic processes of reality, like it or not, into a higher rebirth into the New Age of Aquarius, the cosmic rebirth of humankind.
The process represents the sublime threshold at the moment of now. Now, can go either way, into a living hell of war or into transformation to the higher self. It is up to each to choose what nature we shall seek, the above or the below, but in a chaotic vortex containing a dominant direction known only intuitively -- the universal power assigned to the divine feminine in blue coloring. Blue coloring represents the grand sweep of Cosmic Knowledge, attunment with the Knowing or Akashic Source. The scene is the moment before immanent death as we realize the importance of now, like standing on the edge of the Grand Canyon and peering into it's depth for the first time and finally understanding feelings, the chaotic power on nature and our higher logical mind can keep us alive at the edge of the great abyss nonetheless though fear fills our senses, we live --- I'm still alive! Ahah! Now I see!
You are an idiot. Every piece of information you have referenced comes directly from Wikipedia.
Also, it's WANDERED not WONDERED.
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