{"id":190,"date":"2021-04-28T13:46:07","date_gmt":"2021-04-28T12:46:07","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/artistry\/?p=190"},"modified":"2021-04-28T15:11:27","modified_gmt":"2021-04-28T14:11:27","slug":"the-surrealist-portfolio-part-1","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/artistry\/2021\/04\/28\/the-surrealist-portfolio-part-1\/","title":{"rendered":"The Surrealist Portfolio – Artwork analysis"},"content":{"rendered":"

Analysis of Salvador Dal\u00ed\u2019s Forgotten Horizon<\/strong><\/h4>\n

by Sid Connor<\/h4>\n

 <\/p>\n

Image available from: https:\/\/www.tate.org.uk\/art\/artworks\/dali-forgotten-horizon-t01078<\/a><\/p>\n

Forgotten Horizon<\/em> (1936), oil on mahogany panel, is one of a series of paintings produced by Salvador Dal\u00ed between 1934-1936 depicting the Catalonian coastline, in this case Rosas (Tate, 2021). Working on a minute scale, the piece measuring 222 \u00d7 267 mm, Dal\u00ed paints with extraordinary precision a scene of dreamlike incongruence and hallucinatory figures. Forgotten Horizon<\/em> incorporates many of Dal\u00ed\u2019s recurring motifs whilst also reflecting his enduring love for the coastlines of his native Catalonia. A comparatively understated work, it provides a welcome contrast to Dal\u00ed\u2019s elaborate, frequently nightmarish canvases and \u2018clownish\u2019 public persona (Ross, 2003:14).<\/p>\n

By the time Salvador Dal\u00ed (1904-1989) painted Forgotten Horizon<\/em> in 1936 he was at the height of his powers as an artist (Christie\u2019s, 2013), the work displaying his unique blend of influences through its meticulous detail and hallucinatory atmosphere. Taking an interest in art from a young age (Caws, 2008: 22), Dali had progressed rapidly, taking inspiration from a wide variety of artists. These diverse influences had initially caused Dal\u00ed to struggle in his attempts to assert a consistent artistic identity (Ross, 2003: 68). It was his discovery of Surrealism in the 1920s which provided a unifying force, enabling him to blend a \u201cmastery of traditional representation\u201d (Shanes, 2010: 9) with De Chirico\u2019s \u201ccast shadows\u201d and Tanguy\u2019s \u201cvast spaces\u201d (Caws, 2008: 53), creating highly detailed representations of dreamlike scenes.<\/p>\n

Dal\u00ed termed his approach to painting the \u201cparanoiac critical method\u201d (Constantinidou, 2012: 242), a style heavily influenced by Freud\u2019s The Interpretation of Dreams<\/em> (1899). This \u201cmethod\u201d involved employing a \u201cdeliberately disoriented state of mind that would allow an individual to connect unrelated things, forging fresh avenues of thought and creation\u201d (MoMA, 2021) working obsessively through the imagery and desires of the subconscious (Grant, 2005: 288-289). Dal\u00ed viewed this as an active alternative to the passivity of hallucinatory states and automatism which Surrealism had previously relied upon (ibid). Visually the paranoiac critical method was the marked by the use of double images (Dal\u00ed, 2001: 180) and visual puns (Shanes, 2010: 54) representing multiple possibilities simultaneously. It thus employed Freud\u2019s understanding of the logic of dreams, whereby connections between things, and either\/or scenarios are both expressed through simultaneity (Freud, 2015: 502-506). The paranoiac critical method\u2019s Freudian basis thus opens even simplistic works like Forgotten Horizon<\/em> to a wide array of interpretations.<\/p>\n

Incorporating many recurring motifs of Dal\u00ed\u2019s work from the mid-1930s, Forgotten Horizon skilfully utilises his increasingly well-established symbolic language. In the foreground a trio of dancers appear as though projected onto the landscape (King, 2007) almost beckoning the viewer into the unsettling scene. A \u201cwhite calm\u201d (Dal\u00ed, 1993: 360) in which the sky, sea and sand appear to intermingle, suggesting stillness which is belied by the \u201ctexture and energy of the paint application\u201d (Tate, 2021), which could \u201cbe compared to action painting if it were not on such a miniscule scale\u201d (King, 2007). This brushwork and the hint of looming clouds contributes to the threatening aura of the image.<\/p>\n

Forgotten Horizon<\/em>\u2019s title and subdued pallet suggest a contemplative mood, likely brought about by the events of the time; Dal\u00ed had recently reconciled with his father after years of estrangement (Shanes, 2010: 52). This is supported by his choice of the beach at Rosas as his subject \u2013 a scene which was visible to a young Dal\u00ed from the window of his parents\u2019 apartment and contributed to his lifelong adoration of the Catalonian landscape (Ross, 2003: 21).<\/p>\n

This mood is further reflected in the choice of figures populating the scene. Although Dal\u00ed often utilised cryptic symbols and obscure, deeply personal, associations (Shanes, 2014: 177) Dal\u00ed\u2019s devotion to Freud provides a valuable lens through which to analyse his work. The figure of Carolinetta, his cousin, is arguably legible as an example of Freudian connection through simultaneity, an element of Dal\u00ed\u2019s paranoiac critical method also displayed in The Pharmacist of Ampurd\u00e0n in Search of Absolutely Nothing<\/em> painted the same year, which utilises a complex chain of associations to enable one figure to stand for the pharmacist, his son, and a Catalan physicist (Shanes, 2014: 177). In an autobiographical text Dal\u00ed recounts being traumatised in his youth by an unnamed \u201cgirl cousin\u201d who crushed a grasshopper (of which he was phobic) on the back of his neck (1993: 227). The name Carolinetta was also shared by a beloved aunt of Dal\u00ed\u2019s who died when he was ten (Caws, 2008: 90). The connotations of the name and the figure thus suggest the spectral figure of Carolinetta may represent for Dal\u00ed the haunting presence of trauma, adding to the tension displayed in the image between the idyllic landscape and its sense of threat.<\/p>\n

The three dancers in the foreground can also be interpreted in these allusive terms. The figures were intended to appear \u201challucinatory\u201d (King, 2007), detail which recalls a dream described by Freud in which he was haunted by three female figures who \u201csignified the greatest good and ill fortune for him during life\u201d (Freud, 2015: 298). This similarity, in combination with the painting\u2019s title and reflective atmosphere, suggest the dancers may be for Dal\u00ed just such an apparition, representing important female figures from his childhood.<\/p>\n

Dal\u00ed\u2019s later career saw a widely acknowledged decline in the quality of his work (Meisler, 2005), and the increasing entanglement of his reputation with his outlandish persona (Zalman, 2012: 25). It is, however, in light of these later years that Forgotten Horizon<\/em> can perhaps best be appreciated. One of Dal\u00ed\u2019s few truly understated works, its simplicity, subtlety, and muted pallet providing a stark contrast to his verbose persona. It further attests to Dali\u2019s great skill as a landscape artist, showcasing his fanatical eye for detail on even this miniscule scale. The image provide a window into the life of an artist at the height of his power and yet still preoccupied with the traumatic events of his youth. Forgotten Horizon<\/em>\u2019s nuanced simplicity thus stands as a monument to the artist\u2019s brilliance which would arguably become overshadowed by the layers of the Dal\u00ed myth.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Bibliography<\/span><\/p>\n

Breton, A (1972 [1924]) Manifesto of Surrealism in Manifestoes of Surrealism Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press<\/span><\/p>\n

Breton, A (2021 [1934]) What is Surrealism? [Online] Available at: https:\/\/peculiarmormyrid.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/what_is_surrealism.pdf [Accessed 02\/02\/2021]<\/span><\/p>\n

Caws, M. A (2008) Salvador Dal\u00ed London: Routledge<\/span><\/p>\n

Chipp, H.B (1968) Theories of Modern Art pp.397-40<\/span><\/p>\n

Christie\u2019s (2002) Live Auction 6612: The Art of The Surreal \u201cApparition de la ville de Delft\u201d via Christie\u2019s [Online] Available at: https:\/\/www.christies.com\/lot\/lot-salvador-dali-apparition-de-la-ville-de-3866331\/?from=searchresults&intObjectID=3866331 [Accessed 12\/02\/2021]<\/span><\/p>\n

Christie\u2019s (2013) Live Auction 1103: The Art of The Surreal \u201cYang i Yin empordanesos (Ampurdanese Yang and Yin)\u201d via Christie\u2019s [Online] Available at: https:\/\/www.christies.com\/lot\/lot-salvador-dali-yang-i-yin-empordanesos-5650386\/?from=searchresults&intObjectID=5650386 [Accessed 12\/02\/2021]<\/span><\/p>\n

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Dal\u00ed, S (2001) The Stinking Ass in Caws, M. A [ed] Surrealist Painters and Poets: An Anthology Massachusetts: MIT Press<\/span><\/p>\n

Freud, S (2015 [1920]) Beyond the Pleasure Principle [Dover Thrift edn] United States: Dover Publication Inc<\/span><\/p>\n

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Grant, K (2005) Surrealism and the Visual Arts: Theory and Reception New York: Cambridge University Press<\/span><\/p>\n

Jones, J (2017) Dal\u00ed\/Duchamp review \u2013 surreal bromance between art’s odd couple via The Guardian [Online] Available at: https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/artanddesign\/2017\/oct\/02\/dali-duchamp-review-surreal-bromance-between-arts-odd-couple-exhibition-royal-academy [Accessed 10\/02\/2021]<\/span><\/p>\n

King, E (2007) Forgotten Horizon: Catalogue Entry via Tate [Online] Available at: https:\/\/www.tate.org.uk\/art\/artworks\/dali-forgotten-horizon-t01078 [Accessed 26\/01\/2021]<\/span><\/p>\n

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Ross, M. E (2003) Salvador Dal\u00ed and the Surrealists: Their Lives and Ideas Chicago: Chicago Review Press, Incorporated<\/span><\/p>\n

Salvador Dal\u00ed Museum (2021) Puzzle of Autumn via The Salvador Dal\u00ed Museum Archive [Online] Available at: http:\/\/archive.thedali.org\/mwebcgi\/mweb.exe?request=record;id=110;type=101 [Accessed 12\/02\/2021]<\/span><\/p>\n

Shanes, E (2010) The Life and Masterworks of Salvador Dal\u00ed [2nd edn.] New York: Parkstone Press International<\/span><\/p>\n

Shanes, E (2014) Salvador Dal\u00ed New York: Parkstone Press International<\/span><\/p>\n

Smithen, P (2012) Project: Salvador Dal\u00ed\u2019s Forgotten Horizon via Tate [Online] Available at https:\/\/www.tate.org.uk\/about-us\/projects\/salvador-dalis-forgotten-horizon [Accessed 26\/01\/2021]<\/span><\/p>\n

Sotheby\u2019s (2017) Impressionist and Modern Art Evening Sale: Salvador Dal\u00ed \u201cSpectre Du Soir Sur La Plage\u201d Via Sotheby\u2019s [Online] Available at: https:\/\/www.sothebys.com\/en\/auctions\/ecatalogue\/2017\/impressionist-modern-art-evening-sale-n09740\/lot.55.html [Accessed 12\/02\/2021]<\/span><\/p>\n

Tate (2021) Forgotten Horizon: Gallery Label via Tate [Online] Available at: https:\/\/www.tate.org.uk\/art\/artworks\/dali-forgotten-horizon-t01078 [Accessed 26\/02\/2021]<\/span><\/p>\n

Tate (2007) Dal\u00ed & Film: Press related to past exhibition via Tate [Online] Available at: https:\/\/www.tate.org.uk\/press\/press-releases\/dali-film [Accessed 11\/02\/2021]<\/span><\/p>\n

Zalman, S (2012) Dal\u00ed, Magritte, and Surrealism\u2019s Legacy in New York c. 1965 in Journal of Surrealism and the Americas 6:1 pp.24-38<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Analysis of Salvador Dal\u00ed\u2019s Forgotten Horizon by Sid Connor   Image available from: https:\/\/www.tate.org.uk\/art\/artworks\/dali-forgotten-horizon-t01078 Forgotten Horizon (1936), oil on mahogany panel, is one of a … Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":73455,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/artistry\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/190"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/artistry\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/artistry\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/artistry\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/73455"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/artistry\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=190"}],"version-history":[{"count":16,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/artistry\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/190\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":259,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/artistry\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/190\/revisions\/259"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/artistry\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=190"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/artistry\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=190"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/artistry\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=190"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}