Artwork Page for The Dream

Details / Information for The Dream

The Dream

1931

Salvador Dalí

(Spanish, 1904–1989)
Culture
Spain (Catalonia), 20th century
Medium
oil on canvas
Measurements
Framed: 120 x 120 x 7.7 cm (47 1/4 x 47 1/4 x 3 1/16 in.); Unframed: 96 x 96 cm (37 13/16 x 37 13/16 in.)
Credit Line
John L. Severance Fund 2001.34
Copyright
© Salvador Dali, Gala-Salvador Dali Foundation / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York
This artwork is known to be under copyright.
Location
225 German Expressionism & Surrealism
Print
?

Did You Know?

Dali and other Surrealist artists created images depicting strange juxtapositions that are sometimes referred to as "dreamscapes."

Description

The Dream gives visual form to the strange, often disturbing world of dreams and hallucinations. Ants cluster over the face of the central figure, obscuring the mouth, while the sealed, bulging eyelids suggest the sensory confusion and frustration of a dream. The man at the far left—with a bleeding face and amputated left foot—refers to the classical myth of Oedipus, who unwittingly killed his father and married his mother. The column that grows from the man’s back and sprouts into a bust of a bearded man refers to the Freudian father, the punishing superego who suppresses the son’s sexual fantasies. In the distance, two men embrace, one holding a golden key or scepter symbolizing access to the unconscious. Behind them, a naked man reaches into a permeable red form, as if trying to enter it.
A square oil painting depicts a scene with many figures. A large central figure of a head and the top half of their torso is in the foreground. Instead of a mouth there are numerous insects. In the background, on the left side of the painting, are various figures, one of whom holds his bleeding face in his hand.

The Dream

1931

Salvador Dalí

(Spanish, 1904–1989)
Spain (Catalonia), 20th century

See Also

Visually Similar by AI

Shop the CMA Store

Shop More Art

Contact Us

The information about this object, including provenance, may not be currently accurate. If you notice a mistake or have additional information about this object, please fill out the appropriate request form linked below:

Update or Correct Artwork Information

Imagery or Rights for Non-Open-Access Artworks

Report a Website Issue

Further Questions About This Artwork