The artwork “Butterfly Landscape (The Great Masturbator in a Surrealist Landscape with D.N.A.)” was created by the renowned Surrealist artist Salvador Dali in the year 1957. It is representative of the Surrealist art movement, a genre that seeks to liberate the imagination by interpreting dreamscapes and subconscious symbolism onto canvas. The genre of this work is considered landscape, though it embodies a surreal interpretation.
In the artwork, the viewer is presented with a desert landscape, reminiscent of Dalí’s often-depicted Catalonian environs, under a sky gradating from light azure to a darker blue tone. Dominating the scene is a large, abstract object resembling a distorted face or head with a notably elongated feature, which integrates the titular ‘Great Masturbator’ motif that Dalí has explored in previous works. A series of wires or thin structures extend from this shape, connecting to a double helix arrangement of colorful spheres that suggest the molecular structure of DNA.
Scattered throughout the landscape are butterflies of varying sizes and colors; these delicate insects are typical symbols of transformation and metamorphosis, themes that resonate deeply within Surrealist ideology. In the distance, small anonymous figures can be seen, contributing to the scale and enigmatic atmosphere of the scene. The inclusion of these minuscule human representations against the vast and mysterious elements further reinforces the surreal, dreamlike quality intrinsic to Dalí’s oeuvre.
Overall, the artwork encapsulates the fantastical vision of Salvador Dalí, combining elements of nature, science, and personal symbolism in a way that defies conventional reality and invites introspective contemplation.
