Tristan and Isolde

17Sep08

Another one. Each of us was supposed to do a write up on one of Salvador Dali’s works, and I chose this:

Tristan & Isolde (sounds a little like Liang San Bo and Zhu Ying Tai)

History

‘Tristan and Isolde’ was painted in 1944 by Salvador Dali, originally used in a ballet that Dali produced by the same name. It is a 34.5 x 19.5 inches oil on canvas.

Interpretation

The two red staffs are like a demon’s spokes, dooming the two lovers. The sun rays in the background poking through dark, omninous clouds, are like the hope that Tristan and Isolde try to cling on to but are blocked by the obstacles they face, which is the layer of clouds nearest to Earth. Tristan’s hands are reaching for Isolde, but the way that his face and clothing is painted gives the impression that he is being pulled back. The barrow at his back also looks as if it is holding him back. The mishapen, old barrow also looks like something plucked out of a war zone, which is what happened in the opera where Tristan had to fight with a weakened army. The intertwining willows sprouting from Isolde’s back signifies a romantic relationship, however, since it is on her back, it is as if it is a thing of the past. The dandelion obscuring Isolde’s face shows her kind, but also shows how her identity was hidden from Tristan until the very end. The cracks on their bodies, which appear very deep, shows how heartbroken and seperated they are. Isolde is clutching her side, her rib, actually. This emphasizes the pain of their seperation. The whole painting basically shows a beautiful yet totured love, two people seperated because of circumstance.

Dali has basically told the whole story with the clever use of his subject matters.

Subject Matter and Composition

‘Tristan and Isolde’ has been well composed because the layout is well balanced, the left positions mirroring the way the right objects have been painted.

The painting depicts two unproportionate figures which do not exist in the world but further brings about what surrealism explores. Their fingers are long and tapered. The figures have fatless skin which stretches over their bones. An extremely thin neck is covered skin that sag around the hollows which looks as if the skin, though contracted to its limits, still fails to cover the neck bone structure tightly. The voice box is clearly visible. Connected to the frail-looking neck is a head with a squared face and large jaws. Both creatures have cracks that you would see in a slab of granite, and not of soft flesh or cloth, giving them a stony look. The beige figure on the left has two hands which clutch its ribs on its right. Most of the face, is obscured by a dandelion which grows from its back. Next to the roots of the dandelion is a very small tree which grows on its back. The roots look as if they are the hair of this creature. The figure has a crack that stretches from its back collarbone to its right armpit. The figure ends at what would proportionately be its hips. Beige cloth covers it. The other creature is painted in cooler tones. It is covered by blue cloth. It’s skin is grey. These colours give it a masculine feel. A tiny barrow has sprouted from the cloth on his back, and its face is masked by bandages. Tiny weeds have grown from its head. Two red poles frame the left and right of the painting. Tristan, Isolde, and the poles have long shadows, as if the light source is from the front, but there are many sun rays at the back. In the background, there are two trees on the left, and unplowed land on the right.

Colours

Salvador has dulled his colours which makes the painting look harmonius. The two poles framing the sides of the painting is a deep red, which contrasts with its darker surroundings. Likewise, the main subjects Tristan and Isolde stand out from the background because they have been painted with brighter colours and bolder shadows. Also, the back ground is made of grays and black, so Tristan and Isolde’s variety of colours contrast them. Because of the feminine, gentle beige, and the masculine, bold blue, I would guess that the beige figure is Isolde, while the other is Tristan. This colour representation could also be in cool or warm tones. Thus, Tristan could be the calm balance of their relationship. While red can mean danger, it can also represent love, passion, will, and ready people for a romantic play, which is what Tristan and Isolde is.

Brushstrokes

The figures have been carefully and clearly molded, well-defined by contrasting colours placed side by side. The strokes have been well blended and are barely visible. However, this makes the painting seem too perfect to be true, more like sculptures depicted in a dream.

Rationale

I chose this painting because I found it very interesting with many hidden meanings inside a painting which I thought was weird at first glance. I liked the way that Salvador Dali painted using mysterious colours and subjects, and the way he modeled the creases of Tristan’s face tissue. The soft yet bold colours really caught my attention and I wanted to dig up all the hidden meanings.

I like “Tristan and Isolde” because of the way it has cleverly held one entire story, the well modeled figures, and the rich colours The only thing that put me off was the plain ground of the painting.

However, I feel that the composition could have been better. Instead of a direct approach with little overlapping, Dali could have used a canvas which was more square, with Tristan at the bottom right, with Isolde at the top left, with a few other subject matters. If this had been done, I feel that the painting would have a larger impact. Overall, “Tristan and Isolde” is an interesting and mysterious painting which I enjoyed evaluating.

 

 

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