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Meditative rose

Salvador Dali • Painting, 1958, 36×28 cm
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About the artwork
This artwork was added since it is referred to in the materials below
Art form: Painting
Subject and objects: Landscape
Style of art: Surrealism
Technique: Oil
Materials: Canvas
Date of creation: 1958
Size: 36×28 cm
Artwork in selections: 32 selections

Description of the artwork «Meditative rose»

"Meditative rose" Is something like a puzzle created by an artist whose themes were mainly dreams and nightmares. There are no elongated shapes and crutches, characteristic of the paranoid-critical method. It's just a beautiful picture. Here Dali seems to showcase his artistic prowess, while many famous artists (including himself) painted in a much more abstract manner. Perhaps he was preparing for the exhibition "Dedication to Surrealism", where, at the invitation of his friendAndré Breton was supposed to represent Spain along with Joan Miró.

The painting itself is reminiscent of the natural symbol of the original mantra Om, hanging in the sky over a desert landscape. She debunks the notion that Dali was an exceptionally eccentric and narcissistic eccentric. He also had a very human, caring and sensitive side - and he was not afraid to demonstrate it. The artist created many works - not only paintings, but also prints, watercolors, drawings - in which pure beauty was the predominant message. No hidden meanings, no hidden images - just beautifully executed cute stories like"Baskets with bread" (1926).

In Meditative Rose, Dali placed a flower - a classic symbol of beauty and romantic desire - at the center of the composition. He hovers like an angel over two lovers. The expansive Spanish landscape could represent this couple's future - uncharted, virgin territory that they can discover. There were suggestions that Dali was partly inspired"Castle in the Pyrenees" my Belgian colleague Rene Magritte... However, "Rose" was written in 1958 - a year before "Castle". So, it is quite possible that Magritte was just carried away by the plot of Dali.

In the same year, Dali published his manifesto on "nuclear mysticism" entitled "Antimatter". Commenting on this newfound belief in science, DNA and nuclear physics, the artist said the following: “During the surreal period, I wanted to create an iconography of my father Freud's inner world and the world of wonders. Today, the appearance of the world and physics have gone beyond the scope of psychology. My father today is Dr. Heisenberg "... It is not very clear from this passage what prompted him to change the paranoid-critical method to the practice of nuclear mysticism.

But the following quote explains his particular style. “The surrealists saw Dali as a promise to break through the surreal dilemma. Many of them broke with the movement, feeling that any mental revolution must be preceded by direct political action. Dali put forward his "paranoid-critical method" as an alternative to the political conquest of the world. He felt that he could impose his own vision and color the world to his liking, so there was absolutely no need to change it at all "- wrote the New York Times in an obituary on January 24, 1989.
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