Salvador Dalí’s delicately rendered Saint Georges et le Dragon, 1962, depicts the legend of Saint George and the dragon. The artist’s rendition of the famous tale is rendered with a precise hand, positioning the present work as a masterpiece from the latter half of the artist’s life. The picture contains a harmony of heroic energy, figural classicism, and a Surrealist style which is central to Dalí’s work. Calling back to the psychoanalytic ideas of the movement, Dalí pictures these fantastical characters and landscapes to unsettle and awe the viewer in his take on the classical scene.
Raphael, Saint George and the Dragon, circa 1506, National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C. Image: National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., Andrew W. Mellon Collection, 1937.1.26 Expressive and dramatic, Dalí’s concentration on the anatomy of the Saint and his horse gives them a seething energy as they trample the dragon below. Saint George’s face is turned away, while the horse turns sharply to the right to leverage its front legs over the monster’s jagged body. The dragon is drawn with heavier lines of ink, etching deep into the paper, with sharp edges and groves that mimic the rough texture of the dragon’s body. Its mouth is pried open, roaring in anguish as it is crushed by the Saint’s steed. In the background, we see the eroticized body of the faceless princess fused into the cliffside. She is statuesque and submissive as Georges approaches to save her.
Further minute, background details align with Dalí’s Surrealist tendencies – bones trailing off into the background, a male figure walking with a net into the right portion of the image, a castle on a hill. Harkening back to his deep connections to the movement, the present work infuses Surrealist traditions within the 13th century tale. In the story, Saint George battles the dragon to free the people of Silene (a city in modern-day Libya), alongside the princess, from its tyranny. When rewarded for his bravery, Georges returns his spoils to the poor people in the city, exemplifying the virtue of piety. Showing his knowledge of and connection to Renaissance masters, this subject has been depicted many times by artist such as Raphael and Paolo Uccello, and is a story to which Dalí himself has returned throughout his life in a variety of media. First depicting the event in 1942, and manipulating the figures slightly in each iteration, the face of the Saint is consistently left blank or turned away from the view, allowing for the detail and focus of the work to be on the dragon itself.
Provenance
Private Collection (acquired directly from the artist)
Private Collection, Europe (thence by descent from the above)
Christie’s, London, June 19, 2013, lot 146
Cavaliero Limited, New York
Ubu Gallery, New York
Acquired from the above by the present ownerExhibited
Tokyo, Prince Hotel Gallery, Salvador Dalí, September 8–October 18, 1964, no. 108, p. 109 (illustrated)
Turin, Fondazione Palazzo Bricherasio, Salvador Dalí, La vita e il sogno, November 9, 1996–March 2, 1997
Augsburg, Römisches Museum, Dalí, Mara e Beppe, Bilder einer Freundschaft, September 15–November 26, 2000, p. 132 (illustrated)Artist Biography
Salvador Dalí
Spanish • 1904 - 1989
Salvador Dalí was perhaps the most broadly known member of the Surrealist movement of the early twentieth century. Heavily influenced by Sigmund Freud, the avant-garde style explored consciousness and dream-like states through exaggerated landscapes and bizarre or grotesque imagery. Using the means of painting, sculpture, printmaking, film and literature, Dalí explored these ideas with a meticulous hand and inventive wit.
Although known for his role in Surrealism, Dalí was also a seminal example of celebrity showmanship and the cult of personality, a phenomenon that dominates popular culture today. Always a colorful and flamboyant presence with his signature cape, wide-eyed expression and trademark upturned waxed mustache, Dalí was a master of self-promotion and spectacle.
44
Saint Georges et le dragon
signed, inscribed and dated "Gala Dalí 1962" lower right
ballpoint pen on paper
22 3/4 x 30 5/8 in. (57.8 x 77.8 cm)
Executed in 1962.
Nicolas Descharnes has confirmed the authenticity of this work.
Estimate
$200,000 - 300,000
Sold for $222,250
Nina Piro
Specialist, Associate Vice President
npiro@phillips.com
646-647-5387
Modern & Contemporary Art
New York Auction 17 July 2024
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