![]() |
Courtesy of www.dalipaintings.com |
The history of Young Virgin Auto-Sodomized by Her Own Chastity, 1954, is closely connected to Dali's sister. In his scatological period - which to Dali's delight scandalized the Surrealists - he had painted a
picture of his sister, a rear view which emphasized the girl's behind.
The painting documents Dali's interest in exaggerating the representation of the female form and the possibilities of an abstracted background. The main force within the
painting is clearly its sexual allusion: the horned shapes hovering around the woman are overtly phallic, and the painting's title offers a direct clue about the aggressively sexual tone of the work. Dali's preoccupation
with the phallus was a central theme throughout his career, though the degrees to which his works were representational or abstract differed period to period.
MOST POPULAR PAINTINGS
Melting Watch
The Persistence of Memory
Landscape with Butterflies
The Burning Giraffe
Enigma of My Desire
Head Exploding
Spider of the Evening
The Face of War