Elements of Art

Dream Caused by the Flight of a Bee


One of the most immediately striking paintings I've seen, by far, is Dream Caused by the Flight of a Bee Around a Pomegranate a Second Before Awakening. This is a surrealist painting made by famous artist Salvador Dalí in 1944, while he was living with his wife in America and painting very little. It is now at the Museo Nacional Thyssen-Bornemisza in Madrid, Spain. 

The painting depicts multiple different storylines as they are unfolding: a fish coming out of a pomegranate, tigers coming out of the mouth of the fish, those tigers flying towards a posed nude woman, and a long-legged elephant with a sail on its back in the background. The nude woman is Dalí's wife, Gala, and the painting is of a is of a dream she had. This is a busy painting, but each different scene evokes thoughts and elicits feelings using an array of different artistic elements to do so. 

Shape

One of the major factors that play into the enjoyment of this painting are the range of different shapes used. There seems to be shapes all over the painting that lead you in every different direction. There are circles, abstract shapes created by the intertwinement of the animals and fruits, and the shape of the long legs of the elephant. These shapes definitely add to the multi-faceted nature of the painting.  

Color

The color palette used in the painting also contributes to the overall feel of the painting. There is a lot of contrast between intense, fiery colors (the dark red of the pomegranate, the bright orange of the tigers and the fish,) and calming pastel colors (the beige of the nude woman's skin, the off-white of the elephant and the pale blue sky.) This contrast contributes to an unpredictable, ethereal dreamscape feel.

Tone 

The changing shades of blue also add to the painting, giving it a sense of infinite depth, and an obvious "shore" where the woman lies. The depth is ambiguous, abstract and a little confusing, because the fish and the pomegranate in the painting has to be massive by their comparison to the water and the tigers. The contrast of the colors of the subjects also pulls you between dark and light as you study the painting. 

Emotion & Appreciation

The feelings I got from this piece are paranoid, chaotic, calm, ethereal, and intense. The ability to feel all of those emotions harmoniously from one art piece is rare in my opinion. This is why this is one of my favorite art pieces. I love this painting because it allows you to form your own interpretation, as well as ponder the relationship between each subject and how they all work together to create a very specific vibe. It has so many vibrant colors that are simultaneously rich and soft, a contrast that is hard to achieve gracefully. I would definitely have a print of this on my wall, and I do! I have a large poster of this painting in my living room above my bookshelf. 



Works Cited 

Dalí, Salvador. “Dream Caused by the Flight of a Bee around a Pomegranate a Second before Waking.” Museo Nacional Thyssen-Bornemisza, 1 Jan. 1970, www.museothyssen.org/en/collection/artists/dali-salvador/dream-caused-flight-bee-around-pomegranate-second-waking. 

“Salvador Dalí.” Biography.com, A&E Networks Television, 16 Jan. 2020, www.biography.com/artist/salvador-dali. 







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