The artwork “Night and Day Clothes of the Body” was created by Salvador Dali in 1936. As a work executed in gouache on paper, it exemplifies the Surrealist movement, specifically categorizing as a still life. Currently, this piece is held in a private collection.
The artwork presents a diptych-like composition featuring two anthropomorphic figures dressed in what appears to be blue religious robes or attire with architectural details in the backdrop. The background is split into a night sky on the left and a daylight sky on the right, suggesting a juxtaposition of time concepts, which is echoed by the title “Night and Day.” There is a haunting and dream-like quality to the figures, with cloud-scapes in the mid-section of each figure, alluding to celestial themes and perhaps the psychological interplay between the conscious and subconscious mind. One figure seems to be a casing or shell, devoid of human features, whereas the other displays parts of the human form, such as hands, legs, and the lower torso, suggesting a complex narrative about the human body and possibly the spirit contained within. Classic Dali imagery, such as the disintegration of forms and the floating, dream-like motifs, are present, evoking themes of transformation and the fluidity of reality. The attention to detail and the duality of forms showcase Dali’s interest in the mysterious and the paradoxical nature of human experience.
