Salvador Dali 1961-On[Singles]
Saint George
Date: 1955
Medium: Drawing
Saint George
The lines of this original drawing by Salvador Dalí appear as though they were delicately woven together by a gust of surrealistic wind. The impression they make is that of one of Dali's favorite subjects, his hero St. George from the mythical tale St. George and The Dragon. The image is a wonderful display of Dali's always astonishing artistry.
This drawing is dedicated to Lucien Decaunes, the husband of Cecile Eluard, Gala's daughter with the Surrealists Poet Paul Eluard. Though it is widely known that Gala had a frivolous relationship with her daughter, Dalí had nothing but compassion for Cecile. He often sent her letters and drawings that she kept hung on the walls of her home. Cecile and her husband Lucien were great fans of Dali's work. It is not known how many drawings Dalí attributed to Cecile and Lucien Eluard, but only a handful can be found, this being one.
The drawing is particularly peculiar mainly because at first glance it appears incomplete. The main depiction has St. George raised on his horse with his arms angled and hands open. In between those hands should be a spear, a spear that appears in almost every single one of Dali's St. George illustrations. The spear should be thrusting into the side of slain dragon as a representation of the myth's pinnacle point. It also appears as though Dalí created another and smaller drawing of St. George in the bottom right hand corner. Both these images appear much too refined to be a study for a larger work. It seems as though Dalí intended to the piece to complete as it is now, which leaves the unanswered question of "why." The answer died with Dali.
Dalí had portrayed this scenario hundreds of times throughout his career. He was obsessed with the story and sought to perfect his depiction of it through endless incarnations of St. George. Dalí was drawn to the legend because of its heroic themes and because it had similarly inspired all of his favorite classical artists to produce a painting of it. St. George is now familiar to many Dalí enthusiasts as being an extension of Dali's personality. It has become a staple among other famous Dalínean icon like; melting clocks, standing crutches, giant butterflies, and crawling ants.
The fact that this drawing is dedicated to the husband of a woman Dalí whom considered his daughter brings with much personal sentiment. Since Dalí never had any children of his own, Cecile was the closest thing Dalí had to a child. He considered both Cecile and Lucien family, thus this drawing is a rare private insight into Dalí's family life.
