Salvador Dali's Dream

The Dream

By Salvador Dali

Spanish surrealist Salvador Dali was born in 1904, and he passed away in 1989. According to Wikipedia, Dali's mother was always a huge supporter of her son's artistic interests, but his father was not. Dali was known for his eccentric behavior and limitless imagination, which could be seen throughout all of his artwork. He was influenced by various styles and particularly used techniques of the modernist and classical sorts, when creating his pieces. To this day, Dali is considered to be a prominent figure in the history of modernism.

In 1937, Dali painted a piece he called, The Dream. The Dream deals with the world of dreams, which was a popular topic among surrealists. In the picture, there is a large head that is being supported by crutches. The suspended head's eyes are closed, and it seems to be falling forward. This represents one "falling" into a deep sleep. The head, however, is being held up with the help of the crutches. The crutches represent reality. When one is asleep, he or she is almost transported into another world. However, it is that touch with reality that keeps us from completely "falling". The head is also soft, which implies the vulnerability that overcomes us when we are asleep. The light blue sky is soft, peaceful, and has a dream-like quality to it. Dreams are a combination of what's real and wherever our minds decide to go. While the sky is dreamy, the house/structure in the background serves as a symbol of the realism that is present in dreams. I am not sure, though, what the significance is of the dog on the left side. Any thoughts?