Salvador Dali 1944

This is Harry Sternberg's ink drawing called *Salvador Dali.* Look at the way the cross-hatched marks create a sense of volume and depth. It's a very physical and direct way of working, you can feel the artist's hand moving across the page. I imagine Sternberg, bent over this large sheet of paper, wrestling with the image. What was it like to be inside his head as he tried to capture the likeness of Salvador Dali? It looks like the artist wanted to expose what might be beneath the surface. The figure’s torso seems to have hollows where organs should be, yet he holds an artist's palette. Then there's this strange mask or hood with peepholes into the artist's psyche, an image of someone thinking about thinking. Artists like Sternberg are in conversation with Dali, and also with artists who came before, using their techniques and ideas as a springboard for something new and exciting. This drawing invites us to consider the multifaceted nature of identity and the complex relationship between the artist, their subject, and their inner selves.