El somni viatja 1936

Angel Planells painted El somni viatja, or The Dream Travels, and while we don't know the date of the piece, we can be sure it comes out of the surrealist movement in Spain. Planells was working in a context marked by political upheaval and cultural transformation, and his art often reflects a desire to explore the subconscious. Here, a nude woman reclines on a horse, ridden by a figure in military dress, and precariously balanced stones sit atop his head. What could this mean? The work is rife with symbolism, and may speak to the artist's vision of the relationship between masculinity, power, and the female form. The arid landscape and juxtaposition of objects create an atmosphere of both desire and alienation, leaving us with a sense of the dreamlike, and the unsettling. The emotional resonance of this work lies in its capacity to evoke the strangeness that lurks beneath the surface of everyday reality.