Salvador Dalí The Sacrament of the Last Supper Print Framed Matted Signed 21x29

Description: The Sacrament of the Last Supper Print (1955) by Salvador Dalí, Spanish (1904 - 1989) Highlights Custom gallery framed in gold gilded wood with red velvet mat Signed in the print/plate lower right on tablecloth: Gala Salvador Dali / 1955 Includes hanging hardware and is ready to hang Details Image Size: 14 x 23 inches Paper Size: Unknown Frame Size: 21 x 29 x 2 inches Medium: Paper Edition: National Gallery of Art Provenance: Wilmington, DE Auction Comments The Sacrament of the Last Supper is an open edition print by Salvador Dalí produced by the National Gallery of Art One transparent, ghostly man sits and twelve more people wearing long robes bow over a long table set under a floating, surreal structure in front of a watery landscape in this horizontal painting. The people all have light or tanned skin. At the center of the table opposite us, a man, Jesus, sits facing us with his left hand, to our right, touching his chest and his other hand raised with the thumb and index finger pointing upward. He has long, blond hair, dark brows, and his square jaw is cleanshaven. A piece of white drapery wraps over one shoulder so half of his chest is bare. His body is outlined with light but is transparent so we see the landscape beyond the table through him. Three men are spaced evenly, shoulder by shoulder, to each side of Jesus on the far side of the table. A pair of men sit at each narrow end, and two men sit on our side of the table, one to either side of Jesus. The men on our side kneel at the table, so presumably the rest do as well. They bow their heads low over their praying hands, which rest on the table. Ten of the men wear silvery-white robes. One man to our left wears a lapis-blue cloak and one to our right wears bumblebee yellow. Eight of the men have dark hair, three have gray hair, and one is blond. The table spans the width of the painting, with the short ends to each side receding sharply back in space so there is room for the men there. The parchment-white cloth covering the table is creased deeply where it had been folded. Two pieces of a round loaf of bread, torn in half, are to either side of Jesus near the edge of the table closer to us. A glass tumbler with red liquid sits near Jesus. The scene is lit from the landscape beyond the table, so the people are slightly backlit, and the shadows and the red glow from the glass extend toward us. A structure above the table is suggested by a floating form of interlocking, golden shapes, like an oversized honeycomb, to create a dome-like space. Coffee-brown areas at the upper corners of the painting suggest a ceiling, but the structure fades to transparency as it nears the table. A shimmering body of periwinkle-blue water stretches from behind the table to a row of low, gossamer-white, rocky mountains along the horizon in the distance. One empty, golden yellow rowboat floats in the water, seen past Jesus's left elbow, and a second, indigo-blue boat has been pulled onto a sandy shore to our left. The sky above is topaz blue around a warm, yellow glow emanating from Jesus. A few taupe and cream-white clouds float across the sky. The artist signed the painting in dark brown on the tablecloth in the lower right: “Gala Salvador Dali 1955.”Its Christian subject matter, simplicity of organization, and lack of shock value separate The Sacrament of the Last Supper from most of Salvador Dalí’s other works. Dalí’s reputation from the late 1920s to the mid-1940s was founded on his surrealist manner and use of Freudian dream imagery. This tableau of 1955 is both religious and realistic: the background accurately portrays the view from Dalí’s home on the Catalan coast of northeastern Spain. Although the rugged cliffs and eroded boulders of his native Catalonia had inspired many of the fantastic forms in his earlier works, here Dalí used the craggy bay of Port Lligat as a straightforward backdrop.During the late 1940s, Dalí’s return to Christian imagery and traditional values was influenced by three factors: the devastating effects of the Spanish Civil War and World War II, his reawakened interest in classical art, and his reappraisal of Freud’s psychological principles after meeting the aging psychoanalyst in 1938. One classic derivation cited by Dalí in connection with his painting was Zurbarán, a seventeenth-century Spanish old master. The tousled hair of the praying figures, the kneeling postures, and the brilliant whites of their cloaks evoke Zurbarán’s precise, enamel-like handling of paint.The Italian High Renaissance of the early 1500s was another major source for Dalí’s new classicism. As in the harmonious presentation of Renaissance schemes, Dalí’s composition is clearly divided: foreground action and background scenery. The placement of men around the table is symmetrical, the same figure repeated in perfect mirror image on both sides of Christ. Moreover, the entire nine-foot-long picture is constructed according to complex mathematical ratios devised by Renaissance scientists and such ancient Greek philosophers as Pythagoras.Dalí explained the reliance upon this elaborate geometric patterning just after completing nine months of work on the picture: "I wanted to materialize the maximum of luminous and Pythagorean instantaneousness based on the celestial communion of the number twelve: twelve hours of the day—twelve months of the year—the twelve pentagons of the dodecahedron—twelve signs of the zodiac around the sun—the twelve apostles around Christ."Dalí’s The Sacrament of the Last Supper was given to the National Gallery by one of its greatest benefactors, Chester Dale, who donated more than three hundred works of art to the museum. Dale reputedly suggested the subject matter, and he purchased Dalí’s self-proclaimed masterpiece as soon as it was finished. He then sent it to the National Gallery, where it was placed on public view the day before Easter in 1956. As Dale put it, “This is a picture for all time. It’s too important to keep for a few.” Dale and Dalí both attended the special preview, and more than seven thousand visitors flocked to the museum to see the painting the first day it was displayed. Condition (Please see grading guide below) (I) Overall: Very Good (II) Content: Excellent (III) Frame: Very Good (Some dent, dings, scratches and scuff; Dust cover intact; hanging hardware attached) Artist Bio Salvador Dalí was a Spanish surrealist artist renowned for his technical skill, precise draftsmanship, and the striking and bizarre images in his work. Born in Figueres in Catalonia, Dalí received his formal education in fine arts in Madrid. Influenced by Impressionism and the Renaissance masters from a young age, he became increasingly attracted to Cubism and avant-garde movements. He moved closer to Surrealism in the late 1920s and joined the Surrealist group in 1929, soon becoming one of its leading exponents. His best-known work, The Persistence of Memory, was completed in August 1931. Dalí lived in France throughout the Spanish Civil War (1936 to 1939) before leaving for the United States in 1940 where he achieved commercial success. He returned to Spain in 1948 where he announced his return to the Catholic faith and developed his "nuclear mysticism" style, based on his interest in classicism, mysticism, and recent scientific developments.Dalí's artistic repertoire included painting, sculpture, film, graphic arts, animation, fashion, and photography, at times in collaboration with other artists. He also wrote fiction, poetry, autobiography, essays, and criticism. Major themes in his work include dreams, the subconscious, sexuality, religion, science and his closest personal relationships. To the dismay of those who held his work in high regard, and to the irritation of his critics, his eccentric and ostentatious public behavior often drew more attention than his artwork. References https://www.nga.gov/collection/art-object-page.46590.html https://www.salvador-dali.org/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Sacrament_of_the_Last_Supper https://www.theartstory.org/artist/dali-salvador/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salvador_Dal%C3%AD Grading Guide Notes: The condition grade is a subjective rating based on the observed objective physical features of the item to the naked eye The condition grade does not factor in the perceived beauty or aesthetic impact of the content itself Please view all of the item pictures and video to make your own informed condition decision before purchasing Scale: Excellent: No damage or issues barely perceptible from close viewing distance and bright lighting conditions Very Good: Issues visible from close viewing distance and normal lighting conditions Good: Issues visible from normal viewing distance and lighting conditions but do NOT significantly detract from the overall look of the work Fair: Issues that are immediately apparent from normal viewing distance and lighting conditions AND significantly detract from the overall look of the work Poor: Severe condition issues that require repair and some may be beyond repair Buyer Notes Grinding 4 Good does our best to accurately describe the items we offerItems are offered AS IS/AS DESCRIBED to the best of our knowledge, research and abilityThe buyer is expected to view the photos, video and descriptions carefully and ask questions before they purchaseIf you have an issue or question, please contact us via eBay's systemAfter you have received your item, if you are happy with our service and your new purchase please consider leaving us buyers feedback. 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Price: 250 USD

Location: West Chester, Pennsylvania

End Time: 2024-12-08T11:00:01.000Z

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