Very rare original color lithograph on Arches paper,
dimensions: 48 x 66 cm in light passe-partout, framed in a frame of: 80 x 60 cm,
edition limited to 145 pieces,
Piece No. 62, hand-numbered, signed by the Author l.d,
dry seal of Salvador Dali l.d.,
Publisher: Atelier Latour Paris.
References: Catalogue Raisonne Ralf Michler and Lutz Lopsinger p. 146 No. 1356
"La chiamò Dulcinea del Toboso" (he called her Dulcinea of Toboso) by Salvador Dali, 1964, is a work that is part of a broader series of illustrations Dalí created for the Italian edition of Miguel de Cervantes' Don Quixote published in 1965. Dali was fascinated by the character of Don Quixote and his surreal approach to reality, in which fantasy mixes with the real world.
Dulcinea of Toboso is central to the plot of "Don Quixote," although she never appears directly in the novel. She is the idealized lady of the mistaken knight's heart, who in reality is a simple peasant woman named Aldonza Lorenzo. Don Quixote creates an ideal poetic image of her in his imagination, naming her Dulcinea del Toboso, a name that would be that of a princess and a great lady.
Visually, the work "La chiamò Dulcinea del Toboso" is a typical example of Dali's mature style. Deformed shapes, soft lines, unusual proportions. Dali often combined fantastic elements with motifs from the Spanish tradition in his works, such as landscapes of Catalonia, which often resemble landscapes from La Mancha.
The work arguably shows the duality between reality and fantasy. On the one hand, we have a simple peasant woman (Aldonza) and on the other an idealized lady (Dulcinea). Dalí often explored this theme in his work, depicting hidden, dreamlike worlds beneath the surface of reality.
