Focus on this artwork and explain the Symbolism.
There are various cultural depictions of elephants, where they are often viewed as symbols of strength, dominance and power due to their bulk and weight. Dalí contrasts these typical associations by giving the elephants long, spindly, almost arachnid-like legs, once described as "multijointed, almost invisible legs of desire". Dalí enhances the appearance of strength and weight by depicting the elephants carrying massive obelisks on their backs, however, on close inspection it can be seen that these weights are floating. The obelisks on the backs of the elephants are believed to be inspired by Gian Lorenzo Bernini's sculpture base in Rome of an elephant carrying an ancient obelisk, and was mentioned in several communications of the artist, so can be considered a reliable claim.The Elephants is a good example of a surrealist work, creating a sense of phantom reality. "The elephant is a distortion in space", one critic explains, "its spindly legs contrasting the idea of weightlessness with structure"; "contrasting weight and space".
elephant carrying an ancient obelisk surrealist cultural depictions of elephants elephant Gian Lorenzo Bernini base Elephant