“Autumnal Cannibalism,” painted by Salvador Dali in 1936, is an oil on canvas artwork belonging to the genre of symbolic painting and rooted in the Surrealist movement. It measures 59.9 by 59.9 cm and is housed at the Tate Modern in London, United Kingdom. This artwork emanates from a tumultuous period that reflects the theme of conflict, possibly alluding to the Spanish Civil War.
The artwork depicts two figures engaged in a simultaneously violent and intimate act. These figures, rendered with soft, melting forms, appear to be consuming each other. Their composition suggests a human form, yet they are amalgamations of flesh, fabric, and inanimate objects, creating a disquieting scene of entanglement. The background features a landscape that conveys desolation, with scattered bones and a barren environment which echoes the theme of destruction and consumption present in the central figures.
One figure is adorned with what seems to be a soft, ripe fruit resembling a pomegranate, further emphasizing the theme of harvest and decay associated with the autumn season. The use of forks and knives as extensions of the figures’ limbs suggests a grotesque dinner scene. Despite the unsettling imagery, Dali’s meticulous application of paint and mastery of light and shadow imbue the scene with a striking realism and ethereal beauty characteristic of his surrealist works.
