The artwork “Figure at a Table (Portrait of My Sister)” was crafted by the artist Salvador Dali in the year 1925. Employing oil on cardboard as his medium of choice, Dali executed the piece within the stylistic confines of Post-Impressionism. The portrait measures 46 x 48 cm and currently resides within a private collection. As a genre, the work classifies as a portrait, offering a depiction of an individual in a moment of repose or contemplation.
Upon examination of the artwork, one is immediately struck by the somber and intimate atmosphere it conveys. The figure, identified as Dali’s sister, is portrayed with her head resting on her arm, which is itself draped over a table, suggesting a moment of introspection or perhaps melancholy. Her eyes are not visible, which enhances the enigmatic quality of the portrait and invites the viewer to speculate about her thoughts or emotions. The color palette is restrained, primarily emphasizing earthy tones and shadows that accentuate the forms and contribute to the overall pensive mood. The handling of light and shadow demonstrates a skilled approach, typical of the Post-Impressionist movement’s exploration of color and form beyond mere representation, and hints at the psychological depth that characterizes much of Dali’s later work. The precise rendering of the figure and the attention to the drapery indicate Dali’s technical proficiency and his capacity for capturing the weight and texture of fabric.
