Salvador Dali, Antiphysie from Les Songes Drôlatiques de Pantagruel, Original Large Lithograph, 1973

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Description

Salvador dali
"antiphysie" (the antiphysical creature)
from "les songes drôlatiques de pantagruel" (the drolatic dreams of pantagruel)
from the rarest … Read more Salvador dali
"antiphysie" (the antiphysical creature)
from "les songes drôlatiques de pantagruel" (the drolatic dreams of pantagruel)
from the rarest edition of 50 only

original lithograph on japan paper
year: 1973
76 x 56 cm ca
hand-signed
hand-numbered 8/50

catalogue raisonné:
r.michler and l. W. Löpsinger
"salvador dali, catalogue raisonné of prints ii - lithographs and wood engravings 1956-1980" pages 155 - ref. 1415

with certificate

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history of this artwork

sometime in the 1960s, spanish surrealist artist salvador dali, already considered one of the leading artists worldwide, discovered a special book published in paris in 1565 by richard breton, as the 'last work' of the writer françois rabelais, and named it after his bestseller about the giant pantagruel. This book, "les songes drôlatiques de pantagruel", i.e. The drolatic dreams of pantagruel (where 'drolatic' means funny and amusing), consists of 120 woodcuts, each page showing a completely different figure: strange, hybrid creatures, combinations of man and animal, insect, plant and object, pot-bellied or hunchbacked, with special noses, snouts, trunks or beaks; each having a title in the end of the book.
enraptured and inspired by the new discovery, he chose 25 images and devised variations on these then four-century-old prints. These images have been printed as original lithographs at atelier grapholith in paris, and published by carpentier in geneve in 1973.

this very artwork is one meant to represent the antiphysical creature, i.e. An unnatural and monstrous being which challenges the laws of physics and nature.

here the original text in french (an english translation follows):

ce jeune homme qui, en retournant la tête du côté d'antiphysie, a l'air d'en rire et de s'en moquer à ventre déboutonné; qui, en étendant les bras et ouvrant les mains, semble lui dire: voyez-moi, figure ici un des enfants de physis ou de la nature, laquelle de tout temps est sa partie adverse. Il montre, en lui tournant le dos, un vigoureux priape qu'il a l'air de porter loin d'elle. « antiphysie, dit rabelais (livre iv, chap.xxxii), louoyt et s'efforçoyt de prouver que la forme de ses enfants plus belle estoyt et advenante que des enfants de physis".

this young man who, turning his head towards antiphysia, seems to laugh and mock her with his belly unbuttoned; who, extending his arms and opening his hands, seems to say to her: look at me, here appears one of the children of physis or of nature, which at all times is his adverse part. He shows, turning his back on her, a vigorous priapus that he seems to carry far from her. "antiphysia," says rabelais (book iv, chap. Xxxii), "praised and tried to prove that the form of her children was more beautiful and more fitting than that of the children of physis".

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sold with certificate of authenticity, copy of the catalogue raisonné, and copy of the original woodcut and which inspired dali (we have it in our collection) this piece has an attribution mark,
i am sure that it is completely authentic and take full responsibility for any authenticity
issues arising from misattribution See less