Salvador Dalí created the artwork Soft Construction with Boiled Beans (Premonition of Civil War) to convey the horrors of the upcoming Spanish Civil War. The painting was completed a mere six months before the start of the conflict. It demonstrates Dalí’s unique style, incorporating gruesome details and utilizing his ‘paranoic-critical method’.
In this painting, an aggressive monster is tearing violently at its own limbs, its face displaying a mixture of triumph and torture. The image conveys both Dalí’s sexual obsessions and political outrage. Located at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, it is tagged as Metaphysical Artwork and Horror.
The Soft Construction with Boiled Beans artwork is an excellent example of how artists can use their craft to communicate pressing societal issues to their audience. Through his work, Dali highlighted his concerns for civil conflict in Spain in 1936. His vision came true when a few months after finishing this piece Spain was plunged into one of its bloodiest conflicts in history. The artwork remains relevant today as a testament to how art can help people recognize approaching danger or complex social issues that require attention and discussion from all parties involved in preventing disasters like wars from happening again.
