(from 2016.Klassics for Kids)
Salvador Dalí
Spanish, 1904-1989
The Elephant and the Monkey of Jupiter, 1974
etching with pochoir coloring
In his Bestiary, a suite of twelve prints, Dalí imaginatively visualized some fables by French writer La Fontaine (1621-1695). In this fable an elephant and a rhinoceros challenge each other to a fight to see who is the most important. But the monkey messenger of Jupiter, the most important god of the ancient Romans, stops the fight, saying that the gods are not interested in the animals’ quibbling. According to the messenger, “Great and small are the same in the eyes of the gods.”
Where is the elephant in Dali's print? Visit the Inspiration Station and read about Lines and Shapes. Describe how lines and shapes tell visual stories in the artworks of Dali and Dehn.
