"Invention of the Monsters"

Paper Summary:

The paper states that this painting is a typical work of Salvador Dali's and that his personality is present in this work. The paper discusses that the painting is a combination of symbolism and paranoia. The writer posits that the focus of the painting is the burning giraffe, even though it is painted in the background. The writer suggests many interpretations for the painting, then posits that it is unimportant as the painting is not realistic, and can therefore be interpreted however the viewer wants to. In conclusion, the writer states that the painting is fascinating and ugly at the same time and that surrealism fails if it needs to explain itself.

From the Paper:

"Now, to more closely examine the ghouls in the foreground, sitting at what looks like a banquet table containing only a little statuette. Is it the Christ figure? Some saint being tortured? What makes trying to make sense out of a surrealist painting so difficult is that the artist has a conception he does not want to share with those seeing the paining, once it is out of his mind and on canvas. The whole meaning of surrealism is that it is above and beyond realism. A cat is not necessarily a cat, a cloud not necessarily a cloud, except in the perception of the viewer. Those who look at surrealist works have to bring something with them: either an open mind, or a pre-conceived idea of what one is looking for."

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