Swans Reflecting Elephants

The name Salvador Dali is linked with the surrealist movement. His work has established itself as a collection of everlasting masterpieces in the field of surreal art. Dali's painting Swans Reflecting Elephants is another piece that many art critics consider to be the pinnacle of surrealism.

The painting, completed in 1937, depicts a scene in which a barren canyon runs on either side of a calm pool of water. The viewer's attention is most likely drawn to the serene swans in the center of the artwork.

A closer look exposes one of Dali's favorite features in his works: a double image that, when flipped upside down, transforms the swans into ponderous elephants standing on the water's edge.

This piece, according to Dali, incorporated his "paranoia-critical technique." This art style was described by him as a "spontaneous way of irrational knowledge based on the interpretative critical connection of delirious events."

Date created: 1937
Dimensions: 51 cm × 77 cm (20.08 in × 30.31 in)
Location: Private collection