''The Elephants'' () is a 1948 painting by the
Catalan surrealist
Surrealism is an art movement, art and cultural movement that developed in Europe in the aftermath of World War I in which artists aimed to allow the unconscious mind to express itself, often resulting in the depiction of illogical or dreamlike s ...
artist
Salvador DalÃ
Salvador Domingo Felipe Jacinto Dalà i Domènech, Marquess of Dalà of Púbol (11 May 190423 January 1989), known as Salvador Dalà ( ; ; ), was a Spanish Surrealism, surrealist artist renowned for his technical skill, precise draftsmanship, ...
.
Background
The
elephant
Elephants are the largest living land animals. Three living species are currently recognised: the African bush elephant ('' Loxodonta africana''), the African forest elephant (''L. cyclotis''), and the Asian elephant ('' Elephas maximus ...
is a recurring theme in the works of DalÃ, first appearing in his 1944 work ''
'', and also in ''
The Temptation of Saint Anthony'' and ''
Swans Reflecting Elephants''. ''The Elephants'' differs from the other paintings in that the animals are the primary focus of the work, with a barren graduated background and lack of other content, where most of DalÃ's paintings contain much detail and points of interest (for example ''
Swans Reflecting Elephants'' which is somewhat better known within DalÃ's repertoire than ''The Elephants''
). The stork-legged elephant is one of the best-known icons of DalÃ's work. Other examples are ''The space elephant'' (made of
gold
Gold is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol Au (from Latin ) and atomic number 79. In its pure form, it is a brightness, bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile metal. Chemically, gold is a transition metal ...
and
gemstone
A gemstone (also called a fine gem, jewel, precious stone, semiprecious stone, or simply gem) is a piece of mineral crystal which, when cut or polished, is used to make jewellery, jewelry or other adornments. Certain Rock (geology), rocks (such ...
s) that Salvador Dalà designed in 1961 and the homonymous sculpture created in 1980.
Symbolism
There are various
cultural depictions of elephants
Elephants have been depicted in mythology, symbolism and popular culture. They are both revered in religion and respected for their prowess in war. They also have negative connotations such as being a symbol for an unnecessary burden. Ever sin ...
, where they are often viewed as symbols of strength, dominance and power due to their bulk and weight. Dalà contrasts these typical associations by giving the elephants long, spindly, almost arachnid-like legs, once described as "multijointed, almost invisible legs of desire".
[Dalà Universe Collection]
. ''County Hall Gallery''. Retrieved on 28 July 2006. Dalà enhances the appearance of strength and weight by depicting the elephants carrying massive obelisks on their backs, however, on close inspection it can be seen that these weights are floating. The obelisks on the backs of the elephants are believed to be inspired by
Gian Lorenzo Bernini
Gian Lorenzo (or Gianlorenzo) Bernini (, ; ; Italian Giovanni Lorenzo; 7 December 1598 – 28 November 1680) was an Italians, Italian sculptor and Italian architect, architect. While a major figure in the world of architecture, he was more prom ...
's sculpture
base in Rome of an
elephant carrying an ancient obelisk,
[Michael Taylor in ]Dawn Adès
Josephine Dawn Adès, (''née'' Tylden-Pattenson; born 6 May 1943), also known as Dawn Adès, is a British art historian and academic. She is professor emeritus of art history and theory at the University of Essex.
Early life and education
Adà ...
(ed.), ''DalÃ'' (Milan: Bompiani, 2004), p. 342 and was mentioned in several communications of the artist, so can be considered a reliable claim.
''The Elephants'' is a good example of a
surrealist
Surrealism is an art movement, art and cultural movement that developed in Europe in the aftermath of World War I in which artists aimed to allow the unconscious mind to express itself, often resulting in the depiction of illogical or dreamlike s ...
work, creating a sense of phantom reality. "The elephant is a distortion in space", one critic explains, "its spindly legs contrasting the idea of weightlessness with structure";
"contrasting weight and space".
[ pene art.com Retrieved on 26 July 2013]
See also
*
List of works by Salvador DalÃ
Salvador Dalà produced over 1,500 paintings over the course of his career. He also produced illustrations for books, lithographs, designs for theater sets and costumes, a great number of drawings, dozens of sculptures, and various other projects, ...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Elephants, The
1948 paintings
Elephants in art
Paintings by Salvador DalÃ