The artwork titled “Shirley Temple” was created by the artist Salvador Dali in 1939. This piece is emblematic of the Surrealism movement, a genre which Dali is closely associated with. As a portrait, it challenges conventional representations and evokes a dream-like atmosphere that is characteristic of Surrealism.
The artwork presents a jarring and fantastical amalgamation of elements that coalesce to form an unconventional portrait. Dominating the scene is a figure with the head of a young girl placed onto the body of a lion. Atop the figure’s head sits a dark, bat-like creature, juxtaposed against a dusky clouded sky. The background is rendered in warmer hues, with a coastal landscape and sailing boats in the distance. The ground upon which the lion-figure rests is tinged with skeletal remains and bones, invoking themes of mortality and juxtaposing the innocence typically associated with childhood.
In the lower portion of the depiction, immediately noticeable is a placard that reveals ‘TECHNICOLOR’, alluding perhaps to the advent and fascination with color motion pictures during the period, and it can also be read as a subversion of the child star phenomenon, of which Shirley Temple was emblematic.
The rendering style combines hyper-realistic details, such as the texture of the lion’s fur and the nuanced tonality of the sky, with fantastical and grotesque elements that typify Dali’s oeuvre. This clash of the real with the imagined seeks to engage the viewer in an exploration of subconscious imagery, challenging perceptions of reality, innocence, and the macabre.
