Les Chimères (“The Visions”) from Don Quichotte
In "Les Chimères," from the Don Quichotte suite Salvador Dalí masterfully illustrates the profound psychological friction of Don Quixote’s journey as the knight struggles to maintain a fragile grasp on the physical world. The scene is dominated by a series of unsettling, dual-species hallucinations, imaginary creatures that manifest as a direct result of Quixote’s deteriorating mental state and sleep deprivation. These chimeric figures represent the ultimate "perception disorder," where the protagonist’s surroundings are no longer stable, but instead fracture into a distorted reality populated by hybrid monsters.
The visual intensity of the struggle is heightened by Dalí’s aggressive Tachisme style; the explosive splatters achieved through musket-driven ink and the heavy, gestural depth of rhinoceros horn applications perfectly mirror the chaos of a mind in revolt. By utilizing these "accidental markings," Dalí ensures the viewer experiences the same visceral turmoil and anxiety felt by the knight himself. As part of the landmark 1957 Joseph Forêt edition, "Les Chimères" stands as a definitive visual exploration of the blurred line between noble fantasy and terrifying delusion, rendered with a tactile complexity that only Dalí’s hand-on-stone lithography could achieve.
- Medium: Original Lithograph
- Edition: XII/XXV
- Signature: Signed in the Stone
- Paper Size: 13" x 16 1/8"
- Paper Type: Arches
- Frame Size: 26¾" x 23½" x 1½"
- Printer: Detruit
- Publisher: Joseph Foret, Editeur D'Art, Paris, 1957
- Reference: Field 57-1 p.123, Löpsinger 1008