The artwork titled “After Michelangelo’s ‘Moses’, on the Tomb of Julius II in Rome” is a creation by Salvador Dali, who completed the piece in 1982. This work is an eloquent testimony to the blending of two art movements: Neoclassicism and Surrealism. Its genre, classified as religious painting, engages the viewer with its subject matter grounded in historical and biblical significance.
Examining the artwork, one observes a figure reminiscent of Michelangelo’s ‘Moses,’ markedly identifiable through its posture and commanding presence. The figure appears almost sculptural, with his flowing beard and expressive facial features reinforcing the iconic nature of the original Moses. This figure is seated, his right hand delicately holding the tablets, while the left is placed introspectively upon his chest.
The palette Dali employs here is suffused with yellow and greenish hues that create an otherworldly atmosphere, suggesting a fluidity and dream-like quality characteristic of Dali’s surrealistic approach. Moreover, the background is fragmented and abstract, deviating significantly from the traditional setting. This abstract backdrop appears to envelop the Moses figure in an aura of mystery and transcendence, enhancing the overall surrealistic effect.
Notable is Dali’s distortion of space and form, a hallmark of his work, which prompts a reevaluation of the familiar and an invitation to explore the deeper, perhaps subconscious, meanings embedded within the work. The juxtaposition of solid, tangible form with the ethereal landscape results in a compelling tension, bridging the gap between the earthly and the divine—a quintessential pursuit in both religious art and surrealism.
In summary, Dali’s “After Michelangelo’s ‘Moses’, on the Tomb of Julius II in Rome” can be seen as a homage and reinterpretation that simultaneously reveres its classical roots while radically transforming them through the unique lens of Salvador Dali’s surrealistic vision.
