Oiseau serpente picorant une femme nue sur fond bleu 1966

Editor: This watercolor on paper is called *Oiseau serpente picorant une femme nue sur fond bleu,* or Bird Serpent Pecking a Nude Woman on a Blue Background, painted by Salvador Dali in 1966. The flowing quality makes me feel as though I am submerged in a dreamscape. What strikes you most about this work? Curator: The use of watercolor is critical here, as it creates a fluidity that undermines traditional notions of fixed representation, or clearly delineated object hood. Notice how the layering mimics the sedimentary process: how the artist's hand manipulates the materials in ways analogous to geological stratification. Editor: So, it’s not just about what's *depicted,* but the literal layers and process of its making. The fluid materiality as commentary on formation, be it a psychological state, a natural one, or a manufactured object. But why watercolours instead of oil, for instance? Curator: Yes, and think of the *value* assigned to watercolor versus oil paint historically. Watercolors are often relegated to sketches or "minor" works; Dali’s choice challenges that hierarchy. This connects to the social status, labor, and materials invested in making the painting, right? He takes a “lower” form to depict dreamspace, the psychological. So where is the "real"? Is the so-called final stage made in oil truly that? Is it worth more? Is the artist selling us the supposed status afforded to those more labored upon items or a truly fluid piece to inspire a particular dreamlike reality in the observer? What is he actually selling? Editor: That’s interesting! I’d only considered the surface. Seeing how the choice of material impacts the overall message adds another dimension to the experience. I will now look much closer at materiality moving forward. Curator: Exactly. It is not enough to look; examine. Always question value: assigned versus achieved.