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''The Ghost of Vermeer of Delft Which Can Be Used As a Table'' is a small 
Surrealist
Surrealism is a cultural movement that developed in Europe in the aftermath of World War I in which artists depicted unnerving, illogical scenes and developed techniques to allow the unconscious mind to express itself. Its aim was, according to l ...
oil painting by Salvador Dalí
Salvador Domingo Felipe Jacinto Dalí i Domènech, Marquess of Dalí of Púbol (; ; ; 11 May 190423 January 1989) was a Spanish Surrealism, surrealist artist renowned for his technical skill, precise draftsmanship, and the striking and bizarr ...
. Its full title is ''The Ghost of Vermeer of Delft Which Can Be Used as a Table (Phenomenologic Theory of Furniture-Nutrition)''. It makes reference to ''The Art of Painting
''The Art of Painting'' (Dutch: ''Allegorie op de schilderkunst''), also known as ''The Allegory of Painting'', or ''Painter in his Studio'', is a 17th-century oil on canvas painting by Dutch painter Johannes Vermeer. It is owned by the Austri ...
'' by Johannes Vermeer
Johannes Vermeer ( , , #Pronunciation of name, see below; also known as Jan Vermeer; October 1632 – 15 December 1675) was a Dutch Baroque Period Painting, painter who specialized in domestic interior scenes of middle class, middle-class life. ...
, a famous seventeenth-century work in which a painter, thought to be a self-portrait of Vermeer, is depicted with his back to us, in distinctive costume. It is one of a number of paintings expressive of Dalí's enormous admiration for Vermeer.
Vermeer is represented as a dark spindly figure in a kneeling position. The figure's outstretched leg serves as a table top surface, on which sits a bottle and a small glass. This leg tapers to a baluster-like stub; there is a shoe nearby. The walls and the distant views of the mountains are based on real views near Dalí's home in Port Lligat
Portlligat is a small village located in a small bay on Cap de Creus peninsula, on the Costa Brava of the Mediterranean Sea, in the municipality of Cadaqués in the Alt Empordà comarca, in Catalonia, Spain. The island of Portlligat is locat ...
. In Vermeer's painting the artist leans on a maulstick, and his hand is painted with an unusual blurriness, perhaps to indicate movement. In Dalí's painting Vermeer rests the same arm on a crutch.
It is unsigned and undated but known to have been completed c.1934. It is currently on display at the Salvador Dalí Museum
The Salvador Dalí Museum is an art museum in St. Petersburg, Florida, United States, dedicated to the works of Salvador Dalí. It is located on the downtown St. Petersburg waterfront by 5th Avenue Southeast, Bay Shore Drive, and Dan Wheldon Way ...
in St. Petersburg, Florida
St. Petersburg is a city in Pinellas County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 258,308, making it the fifth-most populous city in Florida and the second-largest city in the Tampa Bay Area, after Tampa. It is the ...
, on loan from the E. and A. Reynolds Morse collection.
Related works
Around 1934, Dalí produced several other works inspired by ''The Art of Painting'': * ''Masquerader, Intoxicated by the Limpid Atmosphere'' (private collection
A private collection is a privately owned collection of works (usually artworks) or valuable items. In a museum or art gallery context, the term signifies that a certain work is not owned by that institution, but is on loan from an individual ...
)
* ''The Ghost of Vermeer of Delft'' (private collection, Switzerland)
* ''Enigmatic Elements in a Landscape'' ( Fundació Gala-Salvador Dalí, Figueres)
* ''Spectre of Vermeer's Chair'' (private collection)
Dalí revered Vermeer, and also drew several times on his ''The Lacemaker'', for instance in ''Paranoiac-Critical Study of Vermeer's Lacemaker''. Dali also painted a copy of ''The Lacemaker'' on commission from collector Robert Lehman
Robert Owen Lehman, Sr. (September 29, 1891 – August 9, 1969) was an American banker, longtime head of the Lehman Brothers investment bank, and a racehorse owner, art collector, and philanthropist.
Life and career
Lehman was born to a Jewish ...
. ''The Ghost of Vermeer'' should also be seen in the context of his other reworkings of historic paintings, such as several works inspired by Millet's ''Angelus''. Images of anthropomorphic furniture as well as crutch-like objects are common in this period of his career.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ghost of Vermeer of Delft Which Can Be Used As a Table, The Paintings by Salvador Dalí Surrealist paintings 1934 paintings Works about painting Works about Johannes Vermeer Cultural depictions of Johannes Vermeer Paintings in St. Petersburg, Florida