The Temptation of Saint Anthony _{(Salvador Dali, Surrealism)}

In this Temptation of Saint Anthony, temptation appears to Saint Anthony successively in the form of a horse in the foreground representing strength, sometimes also the symbol of voluptuousness, and in the form of the elephant which follows it, carrying on its back the golden cup of lust in which a nude woman is standing precariously balanced on the fragile pedestal, a figure which emphasizes the erotic character of the composition.

The other elephants are carrying buildings on their back; the first of these is an obelisk inspired by that of Bernini in Rome, the second and third are Venetian edifices in the style of Paladio. In the background another elephant carries a tall tower which is not without phallic overtones and in the clouds one can glimpse a few fragments of the Escorial, symbol of temporal and spiritual order.

Dali's Other Works