OASIS 1946

Salvador Dalí made this dreamscape called OASIS, and the smooth surface feels almost airbrushed, like a pre-digital Photoshop job. Look at how the color is applied in thin, even layers, allowing the forms to emerge gradually, like a photographic print developing in a darkroom. The tan and sandy color in the painting has an uncanny feeling. There is an area in the center with white flowers – this shape and color contrast with the tan land. The placement is no accident, it gives the painting an eerie feeling of calm and disquiet. Dalí’s attention to detail, especially the way he renders the textures of skin and stone, is almost photographic, yet the overall effect is anything but realistic. The uncanny precision reminds me of Magritte, who also used meticulous technique to depict impossible realities. Ultimately, with Dalí, it's less about what things mean, and more about how they make us feel. And that's a feeling that keeps shifting, evolving, and changing over time.