Artwork details

Artist

Salvador Dalí

Title

Santiago de Compostela

Description

Salvador Dali (1904-1989) - Santiago de Compostela

Drypoint etching from 1969.

The edition XLIV/C on Japon paper.

Dimensions of work: 66 x 51 cm.

Hand signed.

Publisher: Pierre Argillet, Paris.

Printer: Atelier Robbe, Paris.

Reference: Field 69-13 H; Michler/Löpsinger 382.

The work is in Excellent condition.

Santiago de Compostela belongs to Salvador Dalí’s celebrated portfolio The Hippies, published by Pierre Argillet in Paris and printed at Atelier Robbe between 1969 and 1970. Executed as a drypoint etching with hand coloring on Arches and Japon nacré paper, the work formed part of the tirage of 245 examples plus 24 proofs — numbered 1/145–145/145 on Arches, and I/C–C/C on Japon. Each impression was hand-signed in pencil by Dalí and bears his blindstamp.

In this composition, Dalí transforms the sacred journey to the shrine of St. James into a visionary allegory of spiritual awakening. The city of Compostela — a medieval symbol of pilgrimage and rebirth — becomes, in Dalí’s hands, a landscape of metamorphosis: figures blend with arches, clouds spiral into halos, and light descends like revelation. The image evokes the passage of the soul from matter toward illumination, echoing both the mystical aspirations of the hippie generation and the artist’s own fascination with transcendence.

Date

1969

Medium

Etching and Drypoint

Edition

The edition XLIV/C on Japon paper

Signature

Signed

Catalogue Raisonne

Field 69-13 H; Michler/Löpsinger 382

Sheet

66 x 51 cm

Status

Sold

Salvador Dalí

The prints of Salvador Dalí are rooted in a rich past. In actuality, Dalí’s prints have a history that dates back to his early years of art school. The young Dalí was taught the fine art of engraving and etching by his mentor. Dalí gained a respect for the technical details of printmaking, a respect he would maintain throughout the rest of his life. The connection between Dalí and graphic prints is in fact intricate and protracted. In his lifetime, Dalí produced just around 1,700 graphic prints. A large number of them are hand-signed, limited-edition editions. Some are regarded as some of the best prints created in the 20th century.