Metamorphosis of Narcissus by Salvador Dali

This surreal masterpiece is a magnificent example of Dali’s “paranoid-critical” method and his “accurate images of irrationality.” The plot of the picture is dictated by the myth of Narcissus, retold by Ovid. The hero of this myth, a beautiful young man, bewitched by his own reflection, rejected the woman’s love and turned into a flower that received his name.

Thanks to his virtuosic technique, Dali managed to create a series of double images that amaze with their photographic accuracy. In the background, a young man is depicted, looking around his body with a “narcissistic” gaze.

In the foreground, he is looking at his reflection in the lake. To the right of it, a stone hand holds an egg from which narcissus bursts. The picture is a single whole with the same poem written by Dali.