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2022, Echoes of the Classical World
The Kentauroi, more commonly known today as centaurs, were half man, half horse creatures that came from the cloud nymph Nephele in Greek mythology. Whilst most of them were mortal primitive savages, the oldest and wisest of the centaurs was the half-brother of Zeus, the king of all the gods. This centaur was not only the founder of pharmacy and surgery in the Greek world, but also was a renowned teacher to many of the heroes in Greek myth. The most famous amongst his students was none other than Achilles.
The Centaur was made by Salvador Dali in 1960 and published in 1963. It was made to commemorate the birth of the Italian poet Dante Alghieri and his most famous literary work, The Divine Comedy. Salvador Dali took influence from the long narrative poem’s portrayal of hell and creatures from Greek mythology when making this piece.
Text by Garrett Jones, Washburn student