'Profanation Of The Host' By Salvador Dali

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Essay 1 For my formal art analysis essay, I decided to go to the Salvador Dali museum located in St. Petersburg, Florida. The museum contained so many bizarre, yet captivating pieces, that I had to circle around a few times to find the right one. In the end, I was most drawn to the painting titled, “Profanation of the Host”. As I observed and examined the image, I was overwhelmed with a feeling of contradiction. The painting, “Profanation of the Host”, depicts a large, wave-like, and ambiguous white mass that takes up the majority of the canvass and is the focal point. From the mysterious mass, many different figures emerge. For instance, there appears to be a peaceful or sleeping face at the top of the mass and ants crawling at the bottom …show more content…

The painting is about three by two feet. I would describe it as small or medium compared to some of Dali’s huge masterpieces. However, I believe its size makes the piece more impactful because it forces the viewer to notice the intricate details. There are also multiple textures within the painting that the viewer can easily see. The white mass is done with an impasto style. It is very thick and bumpy, as opposed to the rest of the painting, which is very smooth and somewhat shiny. I think the differing textures add to the intrigue of the piece. It made me focus on the white mass and its aspects more than other parts of the painting. This also makes the white mass the main focal point.
Another compelling aspect of “Profanation of the Host”, is Dali’s use of color. The colors used in this painting are mostly neutral, but are not dull. I believe that Dali also emphasizes on dark hues to show corruption and the lighter hues to show innocence. For example, the grotesque creatures hide in the dark shadows of the piece. On the other hand, the child-like figures are completely in the light. I think this also gives the painting more dimension, making it more lifelike. If I think that if Dali were to have used neon pinks, blue, oranges, etc., it would’ve seemed more

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