| Artist | Salvador Dalí |
|---|---|
| Year | 1965 |
| Type | Oil on canvas |
| Dimensions | 296 cm × 406 cm (117 in × 160 in) |
| Location | Museum Ludwig, Cologne |
La Gare de Perpignan (Perpignan Train Station) is a 1965 oil on canvas painting by the Spanish surrealist Salvador Dalí on display in the Museum Ludwig in Cologne. It is considered one of the representative works of surrealism.
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The sacrifice of the son is transposed in the form of Christ on the Cross, with his crown of thorns, floating in the center of the composition. The bleeding wound of Christ is associated with the farmer's fork (on the right) thrust into the ground (fertility ritual). Dalí is represented twice in the vertical axis: he appears in the light at the center of the image, floating with arms spread, and at the top of the painting. On the bottom of the painting lies a calm sea on which a boat, an ancient symbol of the passage from death to life, reinforcing the theme of Christ's sacrifice. Above the sea, a woman seen from the back watches these scenes, immobile, and recalling the helplessness of man facing death, symbolized not only by the bloody wounds of Christ, but also by Dalí, who, spread-eagled, seems to fall into nothingness. On top of the table, a locomotive comes out of nowhere (characteristic of Surrealism), and reminds one of the central themes of the painting, the station of Perpignan. On the left side of the painting, are the embodiment of positive values (the couple on the bags of wheat represent labor, and the man in a meditative pose embodies respect), while on the right of the image are embodied sins and suffering (the man and woman represent lust, and the woman mourning).
The painting has several axes of symmetry. Vertically, the axis of symmetry (formed by the superposition of Dalí himself, the locomotive of Christ, Dalí again and the woman with the turned back) is a separation between good and evil (see description). Diagonally, the rays of light extend from Dalí's arms and legs and form four zones: the locomotive and Dalí (on the top, the subject of the painting), respect and work (values, on the left), lust and bereavement (sins and misfortune on the right), and the boat on the sea (death at the bottom).
The painting is composed of earthy colors from the dark brown to light yellow, the palette is composed equally of all blends and gradients of these two colors.
At the center of the painting, the cross illuminates the whole: it is where the light is strongest and most intense. The spreading rays show the brilliance and power of the man despite death which awaits him.
The elements shown in the painting (pain, Dalí, the locomotive) are illustrated clearly, while Christ, the positive values and sins are show less clearly, their outlines are less pronounced and their color blends with the background.
Death is at the heart of all concerns, both artistically and philosophically: Jean-Paul Sartre is a good example, he inspired many artists with his vision of the world dominated by the disgust and despair.