“The Phenomenon of Ecstasy” is an artwork by Salvador Dali, created in 1933. This collage exemplifies the Surrealist movement within which Dali was a central figure. As a genre, it can be classified as a photo collage, a medium that Dali employed to convey his avant-garde ideas.
The artwork presents a grid-like composition of various photographic images, each capturing different expressions and moments ostensibly related to the experience of ecstasy. The central, most prominent photograph depicts a woman in a state of rapture, with her head thrown back and eyes closed in what seems to be an intense emotional or spiritual experience. This central image is flanked by numerous smaller photographs, some of which show other blissful or entranced faces, while others feature subjects that could be considered synonymous with the concept of ecstasy, such as ears (potentially symbolizing the acuteness of auditory perception) and repeated images of other figures.
The choice of a collage for this artwork allows a multiplicity of interpretations and invites the observer to contemplate the various aspects of ecstasy. The juxtaposition of images not only reinforces the theme but also encapsulates the Surrealist objective to reframe reality by piecing together fragments from different contexts to create a new, thought-provoking narrative.
