Robbers - (Dante's Inferno)
Creator
Salvador Dali
Title
Robbers - (Dante's Inferno)
Date
1951-64
Description
Color Wood Engraving
Identifier
DAL.05.0504
APS.97.10.PR.39668
MH 177 AF
APS.97.10.PR.39668
MH 177 AF
Format
Unframed
Coverage
Salvador Dalí was born May 11, 1904, in Figueres, Spain, and received his formal art education in Madrid. Early in his life, he was influenced by Impressionism and the Renaissance masters, but his artistic preferences evolved towards Cubism and avant-garde movements. In 1929, he became a prominent member of the Surrealist group, ultimately becoming one of its leading figures. His most famous work, "The Persistence of Memory," was completed in August 1931 and is renowned as a masterpiece of Surrealist art.
During the Spanish Civil War (1936 to 1939), Dalí resided in France before relocating to the United States in 1940, where he achieved commercial success. He later returned to Spain in 1948, announcing his return to the Catholic faith and developing his unique "nuclear mysticism" style, drawing inspiration from classicism, mysticism, and contemporary scientific discoveries. His paintings also reflected his fascination with Classical and Renaissance art, evident in his hyper-realistic style and religious symbolism in his later works.
As a young art student in Madrid and Barcelona, Dalí absorbed a wide range of artistic styles and demonstrated remarkable technical prowess as a painter. However, it was only in the late 1920s that two significant events shaped his mature artistic style: his encounter with Sigmund Freud's writings on the erotic aspects of subconscious imagery and his association with the Paris Surrealists, who sought to prioritize the "greater reality" of the human subconscious over rationality. Dalí began inducing hallucinatory states to access his subconscious mind, a process he termed "paranoiac critical."
Dalí's journey as an artist took him through various phases, from his early experiences in Figueres to his studies at the Fine Arts School in Madrid. His mother's death in 1920 marked a turning point in his life. In Madrid, he attended the Special Painting, Sculpture, and Engraving School while residing at the Residencia de Estudiantes, where he formed friendships with future intellectual and artistic luminaries like Luis Buñuel, Federico García Lorca, and others. Dalí was briefly expelled from the Academia de San Fernando but later returned to continue his studies.
During this period, he experimented with rejecting avant-garde trends and instead sought inspiration from Italian artistic traditions. His association with Federico García Lorca continued, and he made his first trip to Paris, where he met Picasso and visited the Louvre Museum.
In August 1929, Dalí met Elena Dmitrievna Diakonova, also known as "Gala," a Russian immigrant who would become his muse and later, his wife. Gala played a pivotal role in managing Dalí's career, handling his legal and financial affairs. They married in 1934.
During the Spanish Civil War (1936 to 1939), Dalí resided in France before relocating to the United States in 1940, where he achieved commercial success. He later returned to Spain in 1948, announcing his return to the Catholic faith and developing his unique "nuclear mysticism" style, drawing inspiration from classicism, mysticism, and contemporary scientific discoveries. His paintings also reflected his fascination with Classical and Renaissance art, evident in his hyper-realistic style and religious symbolism in his later works.
As a young art student in Madrid and Barcelona, Dalí absorbed a wide range of artistic styles and demonstrated remarkable technical prowess as a painter. However, it was only in the late 1920s that two significant events shaped his mature artistic style: his encounter with Sigmund Freud's writings on the erotic aspects of subconscious imagery and his association with the Paris Surrealists, who sought to prioritize the "greater reality" of the human subconscious over rationality. Dalí began inducing hallucinatory states to access his subconscious mind, a process he termed "paranoiac critical."
Dalí's journey as an artist took him through various phases, from his early experiences in Figueres to his studies at the Fine Arts School in Madrid. His mother's death in 1920 marked a turning point in his life. In Madrid, he attended the Special Painting, Sculpture, and Engraving School while residing at the Residencia de Estudiantes, where he formed friendships with future intellectual and artistic luminaries like Luis Buñuel, Federico García Lorca, and others. Dalí was briefly expelled from the Academia de San Fernando but later returned to continue his studies.
During this period, he experimented with rejecting avant-garde trends and instead sought inspiration from Italian artistic traditions. His association with Federico García Lorca continued, and he made his first trip to Paris, where he met Picasso and visited the Louvre Museum.
In August 1929, Dalí met Elena Dmitrievna Diakonova, also known as "Gala," a Russian immigrant who would become his muse and later, his wife. Gala played a pivotal role in managing Dalí's career, handling his legal and financial affairs. They married in 1934.
Source
Gift of Albert P Scaglione
Physical Dimensions
10" x 7"
Original Format
Color Wood Engraving
Files
Collection
Citation
Salvador Dali, “Robbers - (Dante's Inferno),” Furlong Gallery, accessed November 3, 2026, https://www.furlonggallery.net/items/show/301.