Salvador Dalí, The Temptation of Saint Anthony, Numbered Custom Framed Artwork

Description

A commanding reproduction of one of Salvador Dalí’s most extraordinary compositions, turning an ancient story of spiritual resistance into an unforgettable Surrealist spectacle.

Saint Anthony kneels in the lower left corner, raising a cross toward a towering procession of fantastical creatures. A muscular white horse rears before him, followed by elephants balanced on impossibly slender, elongated legs. Their backs carry a nude figure, an obelisk and elaborate golden buildings beneath a vast, dramatic sky.

The subject draws on accounts of Saint Anthony’s resistance to seductive and terrifying visions during his life in the desert. Dalí makes those temptations monumental, allowing them to dominate the landscape while the saint appears small and physically vulnerable.

The imagery invites a reading of desire, wealth and worldly power confronting spiritual resolve. The creatures’ fragile legs suggest that these apparently overwhelming forces may themselves be unstable. Anthony’s raised cross becomes the composition’s small but determined answer to the spectacle before him.

Dalí created the original painting in 1946 for a competition seeking an artwork for the film The Private Affairs of Bel Ami. Although Max Ernst won the competition, Dalí’s entry became one of the subject’s most recognizable modern interpretations.

Presented in a substantial custom dark brown frame with brown-gold toned ornamental detailing, broad ivory matting and a fine gold inner border. An exceptional conversation piece for a living room, library or study.

About the Artist: Salvador Dalí (1904 to 1989) was one of the twentieth century’s most celebrated artistic visionaries and a leading figure in Surrealism. Born in Figueres, Spain, he combined extraordinary technical skill with an imagination that transformed dreams into unforgettable images.

His iconic melting clock painting, The Persistence of Memory, belongs to New York’s Museum of Modern Art. His creativity extended beyond painting to sculpture, jewelry, theatre and cinema, including collaborations with Alfred Hitchcock on Spellbound and Walt Disney on Destino. His remarkable legacy is celebrated at The Dalí Museum in St. Petersburg, Florida, and the Dalí Theatre-Museum in his hometown of Figueres.

Measurements: 27.5″ H × 32.5″ W