Color lithograph, dimensions: 56 x 36 cm; Velin d'Arches cotton paper produced in the Vosges in Arches, printed on the presses of the master printer Jobin, lithograph made in accordance with the lithographic process of printing, one drawing per color, one color perpress pass, signed on the plate; Publisher's dry stamps - Armand Georges Israel; On the lithograph typographically: l.d. "BY SPADEM 1983" ( SPADEM - French equivalent of Polish ZAIKS) and p.d. title of composition. Limited edition published with Salvador Dali's permission under his personal control.
The Dalinian Horses series is listed in the official catalog of Salvador Dali's graphic works published by Albert Fields.
"Le Centurion" is one of a series of works by Salvador Dali under the common title Dalinian Horses.
This series includes 18 lithographs with thehorseas the main motif. The works are as follows: Neptune (Neptune); Pégase (Pegasus); Le Cheval de Troie (TrojanHorse); Bucéphale (Bucephalus); Le Chevalier Romain (Roman Cavalier); Le Centurion (Centurion); Le Cheval de Caligula (Caligula's Horse); Le Cheval de Triomphe ( TriumphHorse ); Saint Georges (SaintGeorge); La Licorne (TheUnicorn);Le Chevalier Chrétien (Knight ofChristianity); Lady Godiva; Le Cheval de Course (Race Horse); Le Cheval de Labeur (Work Horse); Le Picador (Picador); Don Quichotte ou l'Éloge de la Folie (Don Quixote - Praise ofMadness);Le Cheval de la Mort (Horse ofDeath); Le ChevaldePrintemps( SpringHorse).
Salvador Dali's series of works known as "Dalinian Horses" is a quintessential example of Dali's fascination with the symbolism of the horse. Horses were one of the motifs frequently used by Dali invariousworks,as theyrepresentedfor himstrength,freedom,elegance and the spiritual dimension ofman.
Dali often referred to figures from Greek and Roman mythology, such as Pegasus and the horses of Helios pulling the chariot ofthe Sun.For him,the symbolism of the horsewas universal and multidimensional.Alsoevident in "Dalinian Horses"arereferences to medieval art andthe Spanishheritage fromwhichhe came.
As one of the leading Surrealists, Dali transformed familiar motifs into unusual, often bizarre forms. In "Dalinian Horses," horses are depicted in an unrealistic way - their silhouetteselongate,blurringthe boundariesbetweenreality and dream. In thisway,Daliexplored the limits ofimaginationand thesubconscious.
The "Dalinian Horses" series was executed invarious techniques, including lithography and printmaking, whichallowedtheartisttoexperiment withdifferent styles and effects.As a result,he was able tofullyshow thedynamism anddrama of the horse figure. In Dali's series, horses are not ordinary animals - they often hover above the ground, alluding to transcendence and the spiritual dimension of life. Their silhouettes aresometimes imbued with anxiety,whileremainingmajestic. In Dali' s work,the horse is a symbol ofstrength, butalso of ambivalent emotions:freedom andwildness, andat the same time subjugation and oppression.