The Spectre of Sex Appeal.
|
Title |
The Spectre of Sex Appeal. |
|
Creator |
Dali, Salvador (Spanish painter and printmaker, 1904-1989) |
|
Date |
1932 |
|
Cultural Context |
Spanish
European
Western European |
|
Style/Period |
Surrealist
Modern (styles and periods)
Modernist |
|
Subject |
Symbols
Fantasy
Sex
Lust
Fear
Disgrace
Anxiety
Distress
Self-portraits
Portraits
Artists
Boys
Children
Children's clothing & dress
Hats
Toys
Monsters
Crutches
Beaches
Coastlines
Cliffs |
|
Description |
"Dali at his miniaturist best in a tiny work expressive of his sexual anxieties." (Caption); "In the Maldoror illustrations we also find the presence of a slightly older Dali, the same child who, in The Spectre of Sex Appeal, stares transfixed, hoop in hand, at the horrifying apparition that has materialized on the shore at Cape Creus. This picture, done in 1934 (not 1932 as has so often been stated) is today one of the treasures of Dali's Theatre-Museum in Figueres. Of tiny proportions (17 x 13 cm), the artist termed it an 'erotic bogie of the first order'. Contemplating it in 1995, Nanita Kalaschnikoff, one of Dali's closest friends, recalled the way the painter's voice would change at the slightest danger of sexual intimacy. 'Sexuality for him was always a monster and he never overcame the anxiety it produced in him,' she said. 'That was his tragedy.'" (Excerpt, pp.368-369) |
|
People Pictured |
Dalí, Salvador, 1904-1989 |
|
Location Depicted |
Creus, Cape (Spain)
Spain |
|
Material |
Oil on canvas
Oil paint (pigmented coating)
Paint
Canvas |
|
Measurements |
18 x 14 cm |
|
Technique |
Oil painting (technique)
Painting (image-making) |
|
Work Type |
Oil paintings
Paintings |
|
Repository |
Teatre-Museu Dalí (Figueras, Spain) |
|
Source |
Gibson, Ian. The Shameful Life of Salvador Dali. New York; London: W.W. Norton, 1998. (Color plate XXV) |
|
Rights |
Photo/illustration credit/reproduced in Gibson courtesy: Teatre-Museu Dalí, Figueras, Spain. |
|
Digital Publisher |
University of Louisville Department of Fine Arts/Allen R. Hite Art Institute Visual Resources Center |
|
Format |
image/jpeg |
|
Digital File Name |
VRC 835-28.jpg |
|
Rating |
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