The elephant is a recurring theme in the works of Dalí, first appearing in his 1944 work Dream Caused by the Flight of a Bee Around a Pomegranate a Second Before Awakening, and also in "The Temptation of Saint Anthony" and "Swans Reflecting Elephants. "The Elephants" differs from the other paintings in that the animals are the primary focus of the work, with a barren graduated background and lack of other content, whereas most of Dalí's paintings contain much detail and points of interest (for example Swans Reflecting Elephants which is somewhat better known within Dalí's repertoire than "The Elephants". The stork-legged elephant is one of the best-known icons of Dalí's work and adorns the walls of the Dalí Museum in Spain.
The Elephants
oil on canvas • -