Semiotics #2, Salvador Dali elephants

Two Elephants: Elephants are known for being massive creatures with thick, stocky legs. These elephants seem old, run-down, and slightly mossy. Their spidery multijointed legs give them a sense of weightlessness that contradicts reality (which is kind of the point of surrealist art). They’re definitely not wild elephants and they’re not happy.

Blended red background: Red means power, passion, heat, blood, fire, aggression. The red sky accentuates the harsh desert environment and serves to warm and intensify the scene.

Shadows: They make everything look slightly eery and dark. Depressing.

Desert ground/hills: Desert symbolizes hardship, famine, and struggle. Hard times have fallen on all in the painting. The hills in the background give the painting a sense of depth. They accentuate the expanse of open desert.

Two tiny people on the ground: One (the more masculine one) is standing while the other (the more feminine one) is running towards the other. These two aren’t strangers. I get the feeling that the woman running has some strong feelings for the man, but the man is being stubborn and ignoring the woman.

Floating obelisks on top of elephants: Here we have something manmade clashing with an organic creature, suggesting man’s tendency to use animals as beasts of burden. The fact that the obelisks are chipped and rough suggests the feckless nature of man’s efforts to control or organize nature. Obelisks and elephants are a common theme in Dali paintings, but their meaning is open to interpretation.

Little black building: Like the obelisks, it is a manmade structure that appears small in comparison with the natural setting surrounding it. We might be able to assume that the two tiny people live there and that the woman is returning from a long journey.

Conclusion: This painting could mean many different things but the overall feel of it is surreal and depressing. It connotes an almost dreamlike state that doesn’t make logical sense but is eye catching and thought provoking.