Mauvaise année c. 1937

Salvador Dalí made this painting called Mauvaise année with oil on panel and gouache at some point, the date is unknown. Look at this strange dreamscape and the murky colour palette of greys and greens. It’s as if Dalí mixed up his paints with something unexpected, embracing the ‘bad year’ suggested in the title. The marks are quite precise, and the forms are softly modeled, yet the image feels unsettling because of the distortions in scale and the uncanny juxtaposition of elements. Notice the woman’s face, her teeth bared in a strange, almost predatory grin. The paint is applied in thin layers, allowing the texture of the panel to show through in places, especially in the muted background. This gives the surface a kind of gritty texture that enhances the disquieting mood. Dalí’s engagement with the absurd and the irrational reminds me a bit of the earlier work of Giorgio de Chirico, who also explored the unsettling aspects of modern life. Art is like a giant game of consequences, each artist builds on what came before.