The artwork titled “Two Harlequins,” created by Salvador Dali in 1942, is a representation of surrealist imagination rendered on canvas using tempera. Embodying the essence of the Surrealism art movement, the genre of the piece falls into the landscape category. It remains part of a private collection, therefore accessibility to the public may be restricted.
As we observe the artwork, we are greeted with a vast, open landscape anchored by a prominent horizon line. Within this dream-like expanse, two slender structures rise vertically, functioning as pedestals for the two harlequin figures perched upon them. These harlequins, composed of disjointed limbs and incongruent forms typical of Dali’s surrealist aesthetic, stand tall against the backdrop, evoking a sense of both elegance and dissonance.
Below, the ground is meticulously patterned with linear shadows that seem to both assert the flatness of the surface and create an illusion of depth, playing with the viewer’s perception. In the distance, a sailboat, characteristic mountains, and faint architectural forms allude to a sense of journey or destination beyond the immediate scope of the scene. A lone figure, presumably minuscule in scale compared to the harlequins, is positioned at the bottom right corner, adding to the absurd and enigmatic narrative that Dali so masterfully depicts.
Overall, Dali’s “Two Harlequins” encapsulates the peculiar and paradoxical reality that Surrealism seeks to explore, inviting viewers into a realm where the conventional boundaries of logic and proportion are gleefully disregarded.
