Medium

Drypoint etching with pochoir in colours on paper.

Dimensions

66 × 50 cm (26 × 19¾ in.)

Condition

In excellent condition.

Catalogue Note

Executed in 1974, this enchanting composition forms part of Salvador Dalí's celebrated Japanese Fairy Tales suite, one of the artist's most lyrical and imaginative print series. Inspired by traditional Japanese folklore, Dalí reinterpreted a selection of timeless stories through the visual language of Surrealism, creating a remarkable fusion of Eastern mythology and Western modernism.

Rather than illustrating the narratives literally, Dalí distilled each tale into a poetic arrangement of symbolic forms. In the present work, a delicate white bird appears to emerge gracefully from a flowing draped figure while a small seated figure, rendered in warm ochre and punctuated by a brilliant crimson cap, quietly observes the unfolding scene. The spacious pale blue background creates a sense of calm and contemplation, allowing the composition to breathe with the elegance and restraint often associated with Japanese painting.

Throughout the suite, Dalí demonstrates a profound appreciation for Japanese aesthetics. The simplified compositions, generous use of negative space and subtle harmony of colour recall traditional Japanese screens and woodblock prints, while his characteristic dreamlike transformations remain unmistakably surreal. The juxtaposition of delicate pastel tones with vibrant accents of red introduces visual tension and emotional resonance, symbolising vitality, transformation and the mystical qualities that permeate the ancient tales.

The combination of drypoint etching and pochoir colouring gives these prints an exceptional richness. The drypoint process produces soft, velvety lines of remarkable delicacy, while the hand-applied pochoir colours create luminous, painterly surfaces that retain the freshness and spontaneity of Dalí's original designs. This sophisticated collaboration between artist and master craftsmen results in works of extraordinary refinement.

The Japanese Fairy Tales portfolio represents one of Dalí's most successful explorations of cross-cultural inspiration, demonstrating his ability to absorb literary and artistic traditions from beyond Europe while remaining faithful to his own singular visual imagination. Blending fantasy, symbolism and technical mastery, the series stands among the most elegant graphic achievements of the artist's late career and continues to be admired for its unique marriage of Eastern poetry and Surrealist invention.