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The discovery of America by the force of the dream of Christopher Columbus
Salvador Dali • Painting, 1959, 410×310 cm
Description of the artwork «The discovery of America by the force of the dream of Christopher Columbus»
"Discovery of America by Christopher Columbus" (often - "The Discovery of America by the Effort of Christopher Columbus's Sleep") was written in 1958-1959. This picture was preceded by "Santiago el Grande (Santiago de Compostella)"depicting Saint James of Compostela (or James of Zebedee), the patron saint of Spain. Dali says that on these canvases he first conveyed an existentialist tremor: a tremor for the unity of the fatherland.
Two years after the completion of "The Discovery of America", he wrote his third historical work "Battle of Tetuan"inspired by the painting of the same name Mariano Fortuny from the Museum of Modern Art in Barcelona.
The "Discovery of America by Christopher Columbus" was an important step in Dali's work of that period. Here, for the first time, the manner of his "corpuscular period" is brought together and closely mixed with previous styles. In a 1972 interview, the artist said he wanted to pay tribute Diego Velazquez... On the other hand - this seemed to him more important from a technical point of view - in the process, he used significantly enlarged lines of photo-engraving to transfer the image to the canvas. "Christ of St. John of the Cross"... They are mixed with the magnificent halberds of the Spanish warriors from a painting by Velazquez "Delivery of Delirium".
It may seem strange that Dali decided to paint pictures glorifying his country and then depict Columbus discovering America. However, it was a matter of principle for him. Disputes about whether the navigator was a Spaniard or an Italian (he was born in Genoa and studied in Pavia) do not subside to this day. He never wrote in Italian, and on this basis, some historians believe that the Columbus family was forced to flee from Spain to Italy. The Catalans firmly believe that he is their compatriot, and for Dali this was the logical beginning of his historical paintings.
In addition to the nationality of Columbus, around which there was then heated debate, Dali was inspired by several other factors. One of them, no doubt, was Gala, who has always been his main muse and pushed him to create this four-meter masterpiece. Others - the approaching 300th anniversary of the death of Velazquez, whom the artist revered. And finally, the gallery of Huntington Hartford, who commissioned him for this work, was located in Columbus Circle in New York. The combination of these moments was enough to inspire Dali to the delightful heights of creativity.
At the top of the painting, in the center, are King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella blessing Columbus to explore the New World. The flying crosses to the right, the spears, standards, and polearms that the youths raise below are direct references to Velazquez's Surrender of Delirium. So Dali expresses his respect for the Spanish master of the 17th century, who had a huge influence on him.
The central figure of the picture is a young Columbus, who leads one of his ships to the coast of the New World. With his right hand, he installs on only open ground a banner with the image of Gala in the image of the Virgin Mary (according to other sources, this is Saint Helena, the mother of Emperor Constantine - the founder of Constantinople and the Byzantine Empire, which greatly influenced the development of Western civilization). To the right of Columbus is a kneeling monk with a cross - Dali himself - and the figure completely hidden under the cloak, in the lower right corner, the figure represents the introspective, hidden side of Gala.
In the foreground is the shell of a sea urchin, which, according to Dali, symbolizes the orbit of artificial earth satellites, which were launched in those years by the USSR and the USA. Thus, the artist compares the discovery of America with the beginning of space exploration.
In the lower left corner, Columbus is greeted by a translucent priest. This is Saint Narcissus, Bishop of Girona, murdered in his own abbey. Legend has it that whenever foreign invaders approach his tomb, huge clouds of gadflies will chase them away. By depicting the patron saint of Girona coming out to meet the navigator, Dali makes it clear that he considers Columbus a Catalan.
With this painting, Dalí primarily pays homage to his Spanish Catholic heritage. The gala on the Columbus banner also symbolizes the fact that it was she who helped the artist discover America for himself. Gala was largely responsible for many of Dali's antics, for which he became famous and, as a result, took a leading place in the history of world art.
Two years after the completion of "The Discovery of America", he wrote his third historical work "Battle of Tetuan"inspired by the painting of the same name Mariano Fortuny from the Museum of Modern Art in Barcelona.
The "Discovery of America by Christopher Columbus" was an important step in Dali's work of that period. Here, for the first time, the manner of his "corpuscular period" is brought together and closely mixed with previous styles. In a 1972 interview, the artist said he wanted to pay tribute Diego Velazquez... On the other hand - this seemed to him more important from a technical point of view - in the process, he used significantly enlarged lines of photo-engraving to transfer the image to the canvas. "Christ of St. John of the Cross"... They are mixed with the magnificent halberds of the Spanish warriors from a painting by Velazquez "Delivery of Delirium".
It may seem strange that Dali decided to paint pictures glorifying his country and then depict Columbus discovering America. However, it was a matter of principle for him. Disputes about whether the navigator was a Spaniard or an Italian (he was born in Genoa and studied in Pavia) do not subside to this day. He never wrote in Italian, and on this basis, some historians believe that the Columbus family was forced to flee from Spain to Italy. The Catalans firmly believe that he is their compatriot, and for Dali this was the logical beginning of his historical paintings.
In addition to the nationality of Columbus, around which there was then heated debate, Dali was inspired by several other factors. One of them, no doubt, was Gala, who has always been his main muse and pushed him to create this four-meter masterpiece. Others - the approaching 300th anniversary of the death of Velazquez, whom the artist revered. And finally, the gallery of Huntington Hartford, who commissioned him for this work, was located in Columbus Circle in New York. The combination of these moments was enough to inspire Dali to the delightful heights of creativity.
At the top of the painting, in the center, are King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella blessing Columbus to explore the New World. The flying crosses to the right, the spears, standards, and polearms that the youths raise below are direct references to Velazquez's Surrender of Delirium. So Dali expresses his respect for the Spanish master of the 17th century, who had a huge influence on him.
The central figure of the picture is a young Columbus, who leads one of his ships to the coast of the New World. With his right hand, he installs on only open ground a banner with the image of Gala in the image of the Virgin Mary (according to other sources, this is Saint Helena, the mother of Emperor Constantine - the founder of Constantinople and the Byzantine Empire, which greatly influenced the development of Western civilization). To the right of Columbus is a kneeling monk with a cross - Dali himself - and the figure completely hidden under the cloak, in the lower right corner, the figure represents the introspective, hidden side of Gala.
In the foreground is the shell of a sea urchin, which, according to Dali, symbolizes the orbit of artificial earth satellites, which were launched in those years by the USSR and the USA. Thus, the artist compares the discovery of America with the beginning of space exploration.
In the lower left corner, Columbus is greeted by a translucent priest. This is Saint Narcissus, Bishop of Girona, murdered in his own abbey. Legend has it that whenever foreign invaders approach his tomb, huge clouds of gadflies will chase them away. By depicting the patron saint of Girona coming out to meet the navigator, Dali makes it clear that he considers Columbus a Catalan.
With this painting, Dalí primarily pays homage to his Spanish Catholic heritage. The gala on the Columbus banner also symbolizes the fact that it was she who helped the artist discover America for himself. Gala was largely responsible for many of Dali's antics, for which he became famous and, as a result, took a leading place in the history of world art.
