The artwork “Portrait of Gala with Rhinocerotic Symptoms” by Salvador Dali exemplifies the artist’s foray into Surrealism in 1954. This piece, within the portrait genre, captures the Surrealist movement’s essence through its dream-like and fantastical elements that challenge conventional perceptions of reality.
The artwork presents a comprehensive depiction of Gala, Dali’s muse and wife, with an uncanny transformation that alludes to rhinocerotic symptoms, a term crafted by Dali himself as part of his unique lexicon of artistic expressions. Her face emanates a serene composure, juxtaposed against a surreal landscape where shards of her visage seem to levitate around her, echoing the fragmentation often seen in dreams or subconscious thoughts. These facial shards, together with rhinoceros horns—or elements evocative of them—emerge from her collar and float enigmatically against a serene blue backdrop. The horns twist and turn, giving the piece a sense of dynamic movement and a peculiar tension between the static portrait and the kinetic quality of the portrayed symptoms.
The use of color and light brings Gala’s figure to prominence, while the background maintains a muted, dream-like ambience. The geometric patterns adorning her dress suggest a mathematical or scientific underpinning, resonant of Dali’s interest in the natural sciences as a means to explore and represent the surreal. The overall composition encapsulates the paradoxical harmony that Dali masterfully established between the real and the imagined, crafting an iconography that invites viewers to interpret and engage with the complexities woven into the tapestry of his work.
