THE BURNING GIRAFFE BY SALVADOR DALI

CJ SURITA

WHO IS SALVADOR DALI?

A FAMOUS SPANISH SURREALIST PAINTER WHOSE WORKS ARE GREATLY INFLUENCED BY PSYCHOANALYST/ PSYCHOLOGIST DR.

SIGMUND FREUD.

HE HIGHLY REGARDED SIGMUND FREUD FOR OPENING THE DOOR FOR SURREALISTS AND THIS STYLE.

THE BURNING GIRAFFE

THIS IS AN OIL ON PANEL PAINTING USING SURREALISM STYLE WHEREIN THE BRUSH STROKES ARE CLEARLY VISIBLE.

PAINTED IN KUNSTMUSEUM , BASEL IN 1937. BEFORE SALVADORS EXILE TO AMERICA.

SURREALISM MEANS DEPICTING IMAGES THAT

ARE DREAM-LIKE OR SURREAL, NOT AT HOLD ON THE NATURAL AND RATIONAL NORMS, AT HOLD MORE ON THE SUBCONSCIOUS.

EXPLAINING THE PAINTING

THE PAINTING HAS OBVIOUS FIGURES LIKE THE TWO FEMALE-LIKE FIGURES WITH DRAWERS AND STILTS ON THEIR BACKS AND OTHERS SUCH AS THE BURNING GIRAFFE, WHICH ARE BOTH PRESENT ON MOST OF HIS WORKS. THE DRAWERS MEAN THE DESIRES, WISHES AND THE SUBCONSCIOUS OF THE HUMAN MIND THAT HIDES THEIR INNER-MOST FEELINGS. THE BURNING GIRAFFE IS DEFINES BY DALI AS MASCULINE COSMIC APOCALYPTIC MONSTER TO SYMBOLIZE WAR/OR A PREMONITION OF IT. HE VISUALIZED AND ILLUSTRATED THE INSIGHTS OF PSYCHOANALYSIS AND THE SUBCONSCIOUS. HE JUST DEPICTED WHAT THEY DESCRIBE AS NARCISSISTIC IDEAS/ATTITUDES/FEELINGS THAT ARE HIDDEN IN EACH OF A PERSONS DRAWERS.

EXPLAINING THE PAINTING

THE VALUE IS USED TO MOLD THE FIGURES MORE REALISTICLY BY APPLYING SHADOWS SO THERE IS LIGHTNESS TO DARKNESS OR VISE-VERSA ALL OVER THE PAINTING. THE INTENSITY OR SATURATION OF THE COLORS ARE DILUTED, THEY ARE NOT SO BRIGHT TO DEPICT SADNESS, SORROW AND MOROSE.

THE COLORS USED HERE THE BLUES, BLACKS AND SANDY BROWNS ARE SOMEWHAT NEUTRAL COLORS AT THE SAME TIME BLEAK, SAD AND COLD. THE BLUES USED GIVE-OFF A KIND OF COLDNESS AND WANDERING EMPTINESS IN THE PAINTING. THE ACTUAL TEXTURE IS SMOOTH BECAUSE OF THE PAINT. THE VISUAL TEXTURE OF THE SAND IS ROUGH AND THE CLOTH COVERING THE FIGURE IN FRONT IS SMOOTH AND SILKY.

EXPLAINING THE PAINTING

MOTION IS PRESENT HERE BECAUSE OF THE WAY THE FIGURES ARE POSITIONED. THE FIGURES IN THE PAINTING IMPLY DIRECTION AND MOVEMENT. THERE IS UNITY HERE BECAUSE OF THE REPEATING OBJECTS, LIKE THE WOMAN-LIKE FIGURES AND THE STILTS ON THEIR BACKS . IT ALSO BECOMES UNIFIED BECAUSE OF THE COLOR SCHEME; THE BLUES, REDS, ORANGES, BROWNS AND BLACKS THAT ARE SEEN ON THE PAINTING. IT IS ALSO ASYMETRICALLY BALANCED. IN THE BACKGROUND TO OFFSET THE VISUALLY LARGER OBJECT ON THE RIGHT, THE FOREGROUND FIGURE IS SORT-OF LIKE TILTING TOWARD THE LEFT A LITTLE BIT, WHICH WOULD NOT LOOK BALANCED IF THE FOREGROUND FIGURE WAS STAYING COMPLETELY ON THE RIGHT OR LEFT. THE FIGURE IN THE FOREGROUND IS EMPHASIZED BECAUSE IT IS VISUALLY LARGER THAN THE OTHER 2 OBJECTS.THIS CREATES DEPTH AND MAKES THE OBJECTS IN THE BACKGROUND SUBORDINATES BUT NOT COMPLETELY UNNOTICED.

FIN