Abstract
This brief article examines a painting by the extraordinarily gifted artist Salvador Dali, a prominent exponent of the art termed surrealism, based on the Freudian concepts of subconscious, automatism, and free association. Particular attention is drawn in the painting to the birth canal, symbolized by an open-mouthed fish in the process of “giving birth” to a half-born tiger who is appearing to assault a sleeping female lying on the beach; as well as to a pomegranate representing the female ova.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Freud, S. (1995). The basic writings of Sigmund Freud (A. A. Brill, Trans. and Ed.). New York: The Modern Library.
Llorens, T., et al. (Eds.). (1998). Guide to the Thyssen Bornemisza Museum. Madrid, Spain.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Additional information
Permission to reproduce the Dali painting was granted the authors by the Spanish governments Visual Entidad de Gestacion de Artistas Plasticas.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Zuk, G.H., Zuk, C.V. Unique Transformation in a Dali Painting of the Female Life Cycle. Contemp Fam Ther 32, 475–478 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10591-010-9134-2
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10591-010-9134-2