Details:
This double portrait by Salvador Dali is located in the Gallery of Art Prague, in the Czech Republic. Its full title is Gala looking at the Mediterranean Sea which at a distance of 20 meters is transformed into the Portrait of Abraham Lincoln (1976).
Information:
This is a lithograph based on his original painting, Gala Contemplating The Mediterranean Sea which at a distance of 20 meters is transformed into a portrait of Abraham Lincoln (Homage to Rothko), 1976. From up close this is a portrait of Dali’s wife, Gala, who stands nude with her back to the viewer. Dali was inspired by mathematics and optical illusions and produced a photomosaic double portrait. As a result, the arrangement depicts a second portrait when standing twenty meters back. From this distance the lithograph portrays Abraham Lincoln. Dali created the portrait of Lincoln using 121 pixels, as he was challenging the notion of the least amount of pixels needed in order to portray a unique likeness. This work also refers to another painting produced by Dali, namely Christ of Saint John of the Cross, as the sun in the original painting included the image of Christ. The arrangement of the pixels in the detailing of Lincoln’s portrait also form the shape of a cross, evident in the accompanying photograph.
Did you know?:
One may associate Salvador Dali with melting clocks and distorted animals, however this double portrait is the most replicated image produced by Dali. It is also the most counterfeited work in Dali’s name, and requires analysis from several experts to prove its authenticity.