Swans Reflecting Elephants facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Swans Reflecting Elephants |
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| Artist | Salvador Dalí |
| Year | 1937 |
| Medium | Oil on canvas |
| Movement | Surrealism |
| Dimensions | 51 cm × 77 cm (20.08 in × 30.31 in) |
| Location | private collection |
Swans Reflecting Elephants (1937) is a famous painting by the Spanish Surrealist artist Salvador Dalí. He created this artwork using oil paints on canvas. It's well-known for showing one of Dalí's special "double images."
Dalí loved to create these double images. They were a big part of his "paranoia-critical method." This was a way he explored how our minds can see different things in the same image. He wanted to show how our brains can interpret things in surprising ways, almost like a visual puzzle. This method helped him paint many amazing illusions and dream-like scenes in the 1930s.
What the Painting Shows
This painting uses reflections in a lake to create its clever double image. You can see three swans in front of some bare, leafless trees. When you look at their reflection in the water, something magical happens!
The Double Image Explained
The swans' long necks become the trunks of elephants. Their bodies turn into the elephants' large ears. And the trees behind the swans become the strong legs of the elephants. It's like two pictures hidden in one!
In the background, Dalí painted a landscape from Catalonia, a region in Spain. The colors look like fiery autumn leaves. The way he painted the cliffs around the lake makes them look swirly. This swirling background makes the calm, still water in the foreground stand out even more.
See also
In Spanish: Cisnes que se reflejan como elefantes para niños
- List of works by Salvador Dalí
