The Great Masturbator by Salvador Dalí: An Analysis

The corking onanist by Salvador Dal An AnalysisSur true(a)ism is defined as a 20th century contrivance safari which re innovateed the subconscious learning ability of the trickist. This style of ho expenditure photograph involved creating fantastic figurery and ideas that satiatemed to contradict to each whizz early(a). In a surrealistic land of artifice, the earthly concern of dream and the world of fantasy atomic number 18 joined in the ein truth sidereal day. Surrealistic work wad digest a re exclusivelyy rational, along with an irrational style. The surrealistic faeces was first founded by Andre Breton in his icon titled Manifesto of Surrealism. on with Breton, umpteen former(a) artists who lease utilize surrealism in their mental pictures have previously belonged to the Dada movement. Surrealism was practiced with the use of diverse forms of expression. Salvador Dali, for illustration, employ dream wish cognitions of lay as easy as dream inspir ed find outs in secern to create surrealistic find outs. Such artists have been labeled by the reboot of verists because their flicks were savvyd as transformations of the real world. Salvador Dalis contri simply ifion to the surrealistic world was a paranoiac-critical method. As it is introduced by Aaron Ross The paranoiac critical method provides a window into that unknow world of unconscious, and yet does non present the insecurity of psychic inundation. This method was responsible for Dalis famous double images. It required the artist to perceive and paint different images within a single regulate. Dali was dependent of examining his protest paranoiac perceptions and variants (Ross, 5). A perfect pattern which represents how legion(predicate) images ar dissolve into iodine shape is Salvador Dalis painting titled The keen onanist. with the use of surrealism, Dali was qualified to incorporate much than genius image into 1 shape.The massive onanist was calico by Salvador Dali after he has married Gala Eluard. Nathaniel Harris, an art critic has excessively states that According to Dali, it the painting was inspired by a 19th-century picture of a woman smelling an arum lily (15). At a first glance, the watchman power non realize how disturbing, but at the same fourth dimension brilliant, the painting re whollyy is. It is truly firm to interpret what The corking masturbator is about without first taking a very close hear at the painting per se. At the join of the painting, iodin is adequate to(p) to listen an up ramp- raven face. A lot of critics state that this face is that of Salvador Dali him ego-importance. From the back of the head, angiotensin converting enzyme is sufficient to mind out a womans head emerging. Once again, the woman is recognized as Dalis wife, Gala. The womans mouth is multi-colour to be facing a manful crotch. In sum total to that, the virile figure is seen more(prenominal)over from the w aist to right to a inflict place his knees. As if this image was not disturbing enough, the cuts on his legs appear to be fresh and they aspect as if they were still bleeding. In increase to those more obvious images displayed in The Great onanist, the witnesser will dismantletu ally be adequate to orientate out the smaller, but to a fault very essential images.Right below the self de withdrawation of Salvador Dali is a dead grasshopper. Just as all the some other images mentioned above, the grasshopper represents Dalis massive fear of insects. The attestant is similarly fit to point out the ants which atomic number 18 crawling all over the grasshoppers belly. These ants ar in like manner moving upward on the upside down face. reason from the fact that Dali had a fear of insects, one whitethorn conclude that this represents Dalis difference of control. Finally, the images of the white lily (which is painted right below the fe masculine person body), and the lion s head, atomic number 18 understand to be designs of fertility. on with these images, in that location be other images which I was not able to find any representation for. For drill, towards the bottom right of the painting, the security guard is able to notice a very small figure. I intrust that this is the figure of Salvador Dali who is formulationing at his subconscious, which in this case represents his sexual frustrations. Along with the small figure, more to the middle bottom of the painting one is able to point out another small shape. In my opinion, this shape represents a small priapic figure thatis making love to a wave shaped like a woman. In my research regarding The Great masturbator by Salvador Dali, I was not able to find any interpretation of these images. The only explanation as to why Dali has placed this image of a small man in the painting is that this cogency possibly be Dalis ex-best friend and Galas ex husband. Overall, the painting of The Great M asturbator is one in which Salvador Dali is able to let out his sexual frustrations as well(p) as his inner fears. (Masters of Deception)I find the painting of The Great Masturbator to be a very disturbing, but at the same time very fascinating painting. When viewing this painting, one is able to see how graphic it rattling is. The contact that this work of art gives off is that of sexual frustration and of fears which Dali held inner(a) of him. This is clearly shown by the womans head leaning towards the young-be quiverting(prenominal) crotch. This painting likewise gives off a somewhat painful feeling. When the viewer is come outing at the male crotch, they will automatically realize the cut off, bleeding legs. The viewer, practiced as Dali was, might to a fault be disturbed by the image of the dead grasshopper as well as the ants. Because dead insects ar not a pleasing sight, this image might come as a disturbance to many who view it. The Great Masturbator is a painting that is charged with energy. Even though everyone knows that there is no movement going on in the wholly painting, the energy is hugely radiating. As a result, the viewer is able to imagine the woman moving side by side(predicate) and closer towards males crotch, as well as the ants crawling high and high on Dalis self portrait. Although the theme of The Great Masturbator is very essential, the direction of expression to a fault plays a great role in the paintings context.The humor of expression in which The Great Masturbator was painted in is known as abstract. In a way, abstract art is one which resembles real form. Generally, abstract art isunderstood to mean art that does not draw off object glasss in the natural world. Instead, it uses shapes and dis colour in a non-representational way. Abstract art whitethorn also be defined as one which has no reference to reality. The Great Masturbator dope be classified as an abstract work of art because of the way that Salva dor Dali played with its context. First off, the self portrait of Salvador Dali is an abstract work in itself. When the viewer first takes a look at it, it does not necessarily resemble a head. It is only after a while however, that he or she will be able to recognize that it is in fact, Salvador Dalis head. In addition to that, abstraction is also displayed through the woman (Dalis wife). Although she looks very realistic in the painting, the way that she is melted into Dalis head is a sign of abstraction. The same thing can be express for the males legs which also give off the dissimulation of being shaped into the image. In addition to that, another abstract image that the viewer might point out while observe the painting atomic number 18 the abeyance rocks on a wire right above Dalis deformed head. I would hypothesize that this is the well-nigh abstract image because while writing this analysis, I was not able to determine what it represents. Aside from the abstraction w hich is obvious in The Great Masturbator, the painting is also said to be highly representational.In decree to understand the theme that is interconnected into The Great Masturbator, one whitethorn first take a closer look at the painting as a whole. When a work of art is said to be representational, it is a font of art in which the beat is presented through the opthalmic art elements so that the observer is reminded of actual objects (Art Fundamentals, 341). The Great Masturbator is a highly representational painting because the females hair looks like real hair, and her look as well as face also look like they were derived from reality. In addition to that, the male body resembles that of a real male body, and the grasshopper resembles agrasshopper that one would see in a natural environment. Those images mentioned above and other images which I had not mentioned, such(prenominal) as the ants, are ones that Dali painted to represent the natural environment. It is al around a s if they were interpreted out of reality and placed in the panting and because of that it is classified as highly representational. In battle array to express himself in an abstract, as well as highly representational manner, Salvador Dali had to use various fortes.The type of medium that Salvador Dali used while painting The Greta Masturbator was oil paints on a tack. Concluding from my research on this type of medium, I am able to say that after Salvador Dali painted The Great Masturbator it must(prenominal) have taken a long time for it to dry out, since oil paint tends to dry very slowly. Salvador Dali painted this work of art flat on a canvas. However, because oil paints have a thicker consistency, the whole painting has a feeling of metric grain. To begin painting, Dali first had to prepare the canvas. To do that, he first had to misdirect the cotton fabric over a wooden frame which is also called the stretcher. Next, he had to apply gesso to make the surface more abl e to don the paint. In order to paint The Great Masturbator, Dali used various types of materials. close of the time, when an artists uses oil paints, they use a brush to apply the paint. To achieve the matter or realism combined with abstraction, Dali had to use different kinds of brushes. All those brushes must have alter in size and shape, as well as the metric grain that they possessed. Along with the medium used to paint The Great Masturbator, Salvador Dali used two techniques what were essential in creating his work of art. peerless of the major techniques use while painting The Great Masturbator is expression. Expression is defined as The manifestation through artistic form of a thought,emotion, or timberland of meaning (Art Fundamentals, 338). Just as previously mentioned, Salvador Dali painted The Great Masturbator as a self portrait. Everything that is included in this painting was in one way or another meaningful to him. For example, the reason that Dali painted a dead grasshopper with ants crawling up to his mouth was because as a child he was said to have a great fear of insects. In addition to that, the reason that he has painted a female leaning toward a males crotch was because he thought that painting such images would relieve all the sexual frustration which he held inside. by dint of expression Salvador Dali has figured out what he wanted to paint. His second tempo was to somehow make this painting a work of art. Aside from expressionism, blending is another technique of painting that Salvador Dali used while creating The Great Masturbator.In the Art Fundamentals text retain, shading is defined as the darker value on the surface of an object that gives the illusion that a portion of it is turned absent from or obscured by some source of blithesome. A perfect example of shading would be represented by Salvador Dalis self portrait. Although the whole side of Dalis profile seems very well lit and bright, the top of his profile is s ignificantly darker. Because his head as well as his forehead and thread are darker, the viewer is able to imagine where the source of light is coming from, in this case from the front of the painting. This casting of shadow (shading) is a technique which is very essential to a lot of artists. Salvador Dali used shading as one of his techniques in order to enhance the appearance of the painting.The pictorial field is a shape that dominates all the other shapes in a painting. It is an image which unceasingly results to the structure as well as the expression of the painting. Most of the time, a picture canvas is situated on viewers tickerball level. era observing The GreatMasturbator, the viewer is able to see that there is only one surrealistic image which dominates the picture plane. This image is one of Dalis self portrait, which includes the female as well as the male figure molded into it. In this painting, the picture plane seems to dominate the whole painting. Because i t is so great in size, and because it is painted as only one shape, some viewers might have a more difficult time of canvass the painting as a whole. Being that the picture plane is so large in size, it takes over the appearance of the whole painting. Speaking from my own experience, I was able to conclude that while studying this work of art it was not till much later on that I accomplished what its mount consisted of. Another method of painting that Salvador Dali used while creating The Great Masturbator was illusionism.Illusionism is defined as the imitation of visual reality created on the flat surface of the picture by the use of perspective and light-and-dark shading (Art fundamentals, 338). Illusionism, also known as the trompe loeil resolution is a technique which in the case of this painting is intertwined with chiaroscuro. Just as chiaroscuro, illusionism gives an effect of reality. However, illusionism shows a moxie of reality through not only the distribution, but also by the shading of light and dark. The Great Masturbator is a perfect example of an illusionary work of art. As I previously mentioned, in order to learn more about the painting, one must take their time to study it. This surrealistic work of art created by Salvador Dali is one which holds many hidden images. When the viewer first looks at this painting, he/she will most likely not know what it is about. To some who observe it, the painting at the first glance may give off an illusion of a woman. However, Dalis self portrait, as well as all the other images in this painting, are so well intertwined with each other, that it is very hard to grapple them without first taking a hard look at the whole piece. As a result, The GreatMasturbator might fool the observers eye into thinking that it sees an object, which in reality is not there. In contrast to that, the image may also create an illusion of hidden images which are hold to be discovered by the viewer. Push-pull cloak is ano ther method used by Salvador Dali which can also create the illusion of fooling the eye.The Push-pull effect is a method used by artists which represents two or more wiles that alternate places with each other. For example, a person may see two images, green and orange. At first, the green image may look like it is closer than wherefore the orange image. However, all of the sudden, the image fools the eye and the orange air appears closer, and vice versa. In The Great Masturbator, such a push-pull color effect is obvious. First off, the image in the picture plane is much brighter then the background of the painting. However, when one takes a closer look, he or she will realize that involuntarily, the two color in keep on changing place by moving back and forth. Because of the color synchronization, the viewer will be able to recognize that push-pull color effect. In addition to the push-pull color effect, the paramount nations in The Great Masturbator play a very typic role.T he areas in The Great Masturbator that play a dominant role are the same areas which the viewer is able to see in the picture plane. First and foremost, the most obvious area that plays a dominant role in the painting is the upper body of the female. The factors that contribute to the dominance of this specific area, is that when a viewer looks at this painting, they will automatically see the female. This is because she is the most recognizable shape in the painting. In addition to that, her hair color also stands out, and automatically brings the readers attention. Another dominant area in the painting would be Salvador Dalis self portrait. The reason for this image not to be the most dominant is because it is not as clearly set as the woman. Another reason is that Dalis self portrait is upside down, and it takes a while for the viewer to recognize it. In addition to that, the third dominant image in this painting is the grasshopper, which is followed by the image of a males lower body. On the other hand, the negative areas painted in The Great Masturbator are the horizon, as well as the two tiny male figures in the background. They are classified as negative position in the painting because they are just there in order to fill the space between the subject and the rest of the canvas. The negative and the optimistic spaces are combined by the shading and brightening up of the canvas where it was appropriate.The Great Masturbator is painted with approximate symmetry. Stated in the Art Fundamentals book is that approximate symmetry is the use of similar imagery on all side of a central axis. The visual material on one side may resemble that on the other but is varied to prevent visual monotony. The Great Masturbator is a great example of a work of art which employs approximate symmetry. First off, Salvador Dalis self portrait shows his profile however, the face is upside down and as a result, his nose is pointing toward the floor. Also, on the same side of the canvas, right above Dalis head, one is able to notice the rocks that are hanging on a wire. On the other side of the canvas, however, the viewer is able to see the upper-half of the womans body leaning towards the male crotch. In conclusion, one is able to realize that Dalis self portrait (which is painted with his nose down), balances out with the female on the other side of the canvas leaning toward the male. Also, if one were to draw a vertical line down the middle of the canvas, the grasshopper would be split on both(prenominal) sides of the line. In addition to that, the two small figures in the back are also situated so that they will keep the symmetry on both sides of the canvas. Although the whole painting may not have beenpainted just now symmetrical, every shape and image balances one another, and because of that approximate symmetry is achieved.Obviously, The Great Masturbator would not exist today if it were not for the line which has make it. A persons eyes see bo undaries of objects in terms of lines. Also, we have been taught to draw apply line, shape and form. Lines are a very essential leave of creating a good work of art. When used correctly, lines can symbolize various feelings. The first type of line which is visible in The Great Masturbator is the contour line. A contour line is the line that defines the outermost limits of an object or a drawn or painted shape. It indicates an edge that also may be defined by the extremities of darks, lights, metric grains, and colors (Art Fundamentals, 76). Such lines are shown through the whole painting. Contour lines are also present in Dalis self portraits wrinkles, as well as in the stand that the male figure is painted on. Another form of lines which are present in the painting are the finical contour lines. Those lines are defined as lines that cross and define the surface between the edges of shapes or objects. An example of cross contour lines is shown on the grasshoppers wings. Another example of a type of line that one can point out from the painting is the implied line. An implied line is a line that dims, fades, stops, and/or disappears (Art Fundamentals, 76). Implied lines can be seen in Dalis hair on eyelashes as well as on his whole self portrait. Implied lines can also be seen disappearing after they have outlined the womans shoulder, as well as from the stem of the calla lily. In addition to line, shape also plays a very important part in the representation of a work of art.Shape is a two dimensional space which is usually defined by a line, or another. Artists may finalize to use basic shapes, or they may want to choose to use a different type of shape. The shapes they use may be representational, or nonrepresentational. The shapes that play a key role in The Great Masturbator are known as biomorphic shapes. Biomorphic shapes are ones that resemble the freely true curves found in live organisms. Such shape is apparent in almost the whole painting. Start ing from Salvador Dalis profile, and including the stand on which the male is standing(a) as well as the two small people figures. He reason that these shapes classify as biomorphic is because although they do not represent anything in real life, when painted as something, they will morph and transform into an object or a person figure which one would see in everyday life. In addition to the biomorphic shape, quarry shape is also present in this painting. An objective shape is one that is based as almost as possible, on physical actuality or optical perception (Art Fundamentals, 76). object shapes tend to appear very natural or real. An example of an objective shape would be the female as well as the male figure present in the painting. In addition to that, the grasshopper would also qualify as an objective shape. Through those shapes Dali was able to create an illusion of wonder, but at the same time, reality and consciousness.Value is related to the head of light and dark. io din may experience the feeling of value when they get to see a solar eclipse or the sunset. Through value, one is able to distinguish many shapes as well as sizes. One example of value that the viewer may notice in The Great Masturbator would be chiaroscuro. The Great Masturbator is known for the rich chiaroscuro incorporated in the painting. In simpler terms, chiaroscuro can be defined as the distribution of light and dark in a picture (Art Fundamentals, 327). Through this technique Dali was able to create an illusion of trio dimensionality. In addition to that, chiaroscuro makes all the images, as well as the painting as a whole, look alive. Although theimages are painted on a flat canvas using shading done by chiaroscuro, they seem to look alive. While observing the painting, the viewer will have the illusion of the objects being in motion. Because most of the painting is melted together to form one image, the viewer might only glance at that image and realize how alive it appea rs. This perception of movement and liveliness can be created through chiaroscuro. Value also serves a great role while speaking about texture and volume. While looking at the painting, one may conclude that the darker texture (the negative space), is the one which exhibits a rough and deep texture. The observer may conclude that the lighter texture (positive space), appears to be softer to the touch therefore shallower. One may conclude this by taking a looking at the value of the positive and negative space. The negative space is darker, and therefore seems rougher and deeper. The positive space, on the other hand, seems to have lighter value in it therefore, one may conclude that it may by softer and shallower.Texture is the tactile fictional character of visual expression. Texture can qualified as real or implied. It is created by using other elements such as value, line, and color. One type of texture which one the observer will be able to point out in The Great Masturbator is accent. Accent is a texture which places an emphasis to elements of composition that makes them attract more attention then other features that surround or are close to them. (Art Fundamentals, 134). Accent texture may be achieved by a adding a brighter color, a darker tone, or by any other means in which a difference is exposed. In other words, Salvador Dalis self portrait is an example of accent. It distinguishes itself with a brighter color then any other image on the painting. Accent texture serves as a great addition to the overall painting. First off, it makes thewhole painting very shiny and bright. In addition to that, the bright color in contrast wit the dark color, gives off a very good-tempered (light) versus rough (dark) feeling. garble is the most universally appreciated element (Art Fundamentals, 149). Color surrounds everyone. Everywhere we go, we are always in contact with color, and from time to time, we are being introduced to new colors. The Great Masturbator, f or example, is a work of art that is very rich with many different colors. This painting by Salvador Dali contains a assortment of potent and cool off colors. For example, the head which symbolizes a self portrait of Dali is jaundiced a warm color. Same thing can be said for the female, she is also painted in warm colors. However, it is hard to tell whether or not the male is painted with worm or cool colors. A part of him can be perceived as if it was painted with warm colors. Another half, on the other hand, looks as if it was painted in cool colors. The background of The Great Masturbator, however, is a mixture of warm as well as cool colors. From the horizon, and a little more to the top, the viewer is able to see the yellow, warm, color. However, from the yellow color, and more to the top, one is able to see all the dark hues, and as a result, the hue here is classified as cool. In my opinion, the overall tonality of The Great Masturbator is tranquil and undisturbed (not p aying attention to the images, only color). I am able to say that because even though it is a lighter color, the yellow is overpowering the green. co-occurrent contrast happens when two different colors come into direct contact. As a result, the contrast intensifies the difference between them. Simultaneous contrast means that when a person makes a couple of white holes in a red sweater, and then lays it down on white table, we will perceive the table color different then the white hole color, even though it is the same thing. I believe that this happens because people are not used to experimenting withcolor. We are used to perceive color for what it is, whether it is yellow, blue or red. However, when someone puts us through a test such as the one I mentioned above, we cannot believe that it is not the white that changed, but the background which was laid on to make us think that the color has changed. . local anaesthetic color is something that we see every day. Local colors brigh ten our day and make us feel good. Colors are classified into three properties Value, chromaticity, and rapture. Value can be defined as the quantity of light reflected by a color. Value can be classified as chromatic value, which distinguishes the lightness and darkness of colors. The high key colors are the colors that are above middle gray. Low key colors, on the other hand, are all the colors below the middle gray. Hue is only the real name for color. In reality, it is not the color red, the color blue it is a red hue, a blue hue and so on. Every hue exists in many other variations. Many reds have different shades many blues have different shades, and so on. Intensity, on the other hand, refers to the quality of light in a color. Intensity distinguishes the brighter colors from the duller colors. As a matter of fact, color can really loose its intensity. After its whole intensity has been lost, the color stays gray. However, there are a couple of ways to change a colors inten sity. In order to increase a colors intensity, one must place the dull color right next to its complement. In order to decrease a colors intensity, it is required to mix the color pigments. plurality very often mistaken value for intensity, however, it is not the same.Symbolic color plays a great role in painting various subject matters. Symbolic color is used by an artist to represent a mood or a feeling in a minded(p) painting. Depending on a person and their origin, colors may have many different symbolic meanings. For example, the color gold is often associated with royalty. The color red, on the other hand, may have many different symbolic meanings such as alert, blood, love etc. Through the use of symbolic color, the viewer may develop a greater understanding of a trustworthy painting. The Great Masturbator does not consist of any symbolic color that would help the viewer determine the mood or feeling of the painting. However, the colors used by Dali in painting have to be symbolic in one way or another. Just as color is needed to describe the mood or feeling of a painting, accordance and amity are essential.Unity is defined as the result of transport the elements of art into the appropriate ratio to achieve a sense of ace (Art Fundamentals, 324). union, on the other hand, is the quality of relating the visual elements of a composition (Art Fundamentals, 32). Harmony is achieved by repetition of characteristics that are the same or similar. Harmony is one of the principles of organization which helps to produce balance. in that respect are many ways that harmony can be incorporated in a work of art. repetition uses the same visual effects, such as color or shading, in order to produce one dominating visual idea. Through repetition, the viewer may start to feel a harmonious relationship with the work of art that is viewed. Rhythm, on the other hand, is achieved when many of the same shapes or images are repeated. Lastly, economy distills an imag e to the basic essentials for its clarification or presentation. In the painting of The Great Masturbator, Salvador Dali uses the technique of rhythm. In my opinion this is a rhythmic painting because of its soft flow. When taking into consideration the foreground of the painting, the whole image consists of a continuous flow. Very soft and almost musical lines connect the images together. There is no sharp breaking or snatching of lines they all have a perfectly finished ending.After my analysis of The Great Masturbator, I am able to state that this is one of the most brilliant works of art that I have ever studied. While taking the time to look at the painting, one cannot forget the great artist himself, Salvador Dali. His magnificent talents and imagination have awakened in me the need to learn more about him as well as his other works. Salvador Dali knew what to paint in order to make his art as well as his watchword well known. It fascinates me how he used his life as well as feelings to paint a painting, such as The Great Masturbator, that can be so personal, but at the same time so throw to interpretation. His brilliant use of abstraction, color, value, shape, as well as all the other techniques, take the breath of anyone who has ever looked at his artwork. I am also convinced that The Great Masturbator is one of his classic works by which he will always be remembered.