''Slave Market with the Disappearing Bust of Voltaire'' (1940) is a

painting Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a solid surface (called the "matrix" or "support"). The medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush, but other implements, such as knives, sponges, and ai ...

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Can ...

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 ...

Salvador Dalí Salvador Domingo Felipe Jacinto Dalí i Domènech, Marquess of Dalí of Púbol (; ; ; 11 May 190423 January 1989) was a Spanish surrealist artist renowned for his technical skill, precise draftsmanship, and the striking and bizarre images in ...

. The painting depicts a slave market, while a woman at a booth watches the people. A variety of people seem to make up the face of

Voltaire François-Marie Arouet (; 21 November 169430 May 1778) was a French Enlightenment writer, historian, and philosopher. Known by his ''nom de plume'' M. de Voltaire (; also ; ), he was famous for his wit, and his criticism of Christianity—es ...

, while the face seems to be positioned on an object to form a bust of Voltaire. Voltaire was a French writer and philosopher known for his opposition to slavery. The painting was completed in 1940 in oil on canvas. Dalí describes his work on the painting "to make the abnormal look normal and the normal look abnormal." He uses the technique so called "Double Image", when one form contains two or more images.

References

VanRullen R, Koch Ch. Is perception discrete or continuous ? Trends Cogn Sci.2003;7(5):207-213.

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