“Illumined Pleasures”
Gabrielle Cuebas
HUA 101
The MoMA
My first experience at the Museum of Modern Art was enlightening. There were
so many different artistic styles used in all of the works that one could never get bored
touring around this six-floor facility. Starting from the top floor down, something caught
my eye from every direction. Many of the art pieces were not necessarily good, but they
were all interesting in their own unique ways. It did not take long before I encountered a
painting from one of my favorite artists, Salvador Dali, from Spain. The painting, called
Illumined Pleasures is really impressive. It was done in 1929, during the Surrealist
Movement. I have seen many reproductions of his works, but they were nothing like this.
Every time I view a piece of art done by Dali, I feel a rush. There is so much
content this small painting, which is only 9 3/8 x 13 5/8 inches. Salvador Dali was one of
the greatest surrealists of his time. He created art with such dream like qualities, which
was basically the point of the Surrealism Movement. The idea was to create art that
“expresses the workings of the subconscious”1, so it makes one really want to look
deeper into the painting. The painting is oil and collage on composition board. On my
first glance of the picture, I saw a lot going on. I saw all of the high color usage before I
realized all of the action that was taking place within the painting.
The three boxes in the painting are supposed to be screens so it appears that you
are watching several films at once. The rest of the images seem quite chaotic. The same
way dreams can be confusing, is the way some people consider Dali’s paintings. “One
can hardly find any logic in them,”2 but they are still quite fascinating. The image on the
right, shown up close below as picture A, is the only image that made any sense to me.
The image seems to express the idea of routine in our world. There are many people in
the world that may dream of doing things differently, hence what appears to be white
“thought clouds” above their heads, yet no changes are made, which is why there are all
riding bicycles in the same aimless directions.
The images at the bottom of the painting give off the feeling of a struggle. The
disturbing image of the bloody hands holding a knife emerging from the ground, along
with the man grasping the woman with bloody hands, as if she were running away from
him, both give an unpleasant feeling. The painting may not be related to anything from
the real world, but 1929 was the year of the stock market crash, which was a great time of
turmoil for everyone in America. This could have been Dali’s way of expressing those
emotions. It is said that the box in the middle with the distorted face is that of Dali’s face.
That is not uncommon. Many artists find ways to represent themselves in the art they
produce.
I think Dali is one of the most creative artists I know. I always enjoy viewing his
paintings because besides just looking at the nice colors and shapes, I have to take my
time to see every part of the painting and attempt to figure out the meaning of it all. Most
of the images in the painting are so close to the center and edge that there is no single
perspective or image to focus on, so you have to look at it all at once. Dali’s goal in his
works was “to make the unreal seem more real than true reality,”3 which he depicted well
because some of the images are so unusual that someone who is close minded may
believe it is real. Dali’s work is representational for the most part, some images are
abstract, and some are from complete imagination, which is the best part.
Photos
A)
B)
C)
Notes
1
http://www.answers.com/topic/surrealism
2
Http://www.englishforums.com/English/DalisIlluminedPleasuresRecordDream/qvjh/
post.htm
3
http://www.arthistory-famousartists-paintings.com/SalvadorDali.html