The surrealism movement, which flourished in the 1920s gave birth to the style of  abstract, high detailed artwork with a deep meaning, or meanings to it. One of the most famous painters during this movement, was Salvador Dali. Dali is best known for his surreal painting of The Melting Clocks, but one of his most controversial paintings is a double-image called Swans Reflecting Elephants. This painting is controversial, because most people only focus on the main image in the mid-ground, instead of focusing on the whole thing. In doing so, they struggle to find the true meaning of the double-image, which is the fact that everything is not what it seems.

Swans Reflecting Elephants is a painting in which there are three swans in the mid-ground siting on a pond with trees behind them. The point of view of the painting, along with the swans and the trees positioning, creates an image of three elephants in their reflection in the pond. The bodies of the swans creates the elephants bodies and heads, while the swans necks act as the elephants trunks in the reflection, and the trees create the elephants legs. This double-image might not mean anything at a glance, but after taking a closer look, this double-image means that everything is not what it appears to be. This means that just because the swans look graceful and innocent, does not mean that they are, because they could have the strength and or mindset of a huge intimidating animal such as an elephant. The aforementioned could also be said vice versa; just because an elephant is big and intimidating, does not mean that it is. Instead it could be as elegant and peaceful as a swan. This double-image’s meaning also applies to the inanimate objects in the painting such as the trees reflection, and the pond. It applies to the trees because they seem to be lifeless, but in the reflection the trees are given life and they are able to move. It applies to the pond, because the reflections in the pond creates the sense of the pond being a portal to an alternate reality where everything is the opposite of the swan’s reality.

In the background of the painting, which is the part of this painting that most people tend to overlook, there is a man standing next to a tall rock structure facing the direction of the light source. The  man’s shadow looks like a women’s shadow because the shape of the rock distorts it. This is another double-image that contributes to the paintings overall meaning, because this shadow represents the man’s view of himself. He may have the appearance of a man, but he views himself as a women; which is an example of how everything is not what it seems because just like the image of the swans and elephants, this shows how someone’s or something’s personality and physical ability can not be judged from their appearance.

Above the man, there is an iceberg-like structure that is in contrast with a pyramid-like structure on the opposite side of the painting. This iceberg-like structure is not only in contrast with the pyramid, but also with the setting of the painting which is desert like and predominately warm colored aside from the sky and the pond. The fact that this iceberg exists in this warm environment is even more proof that everything is not what it seems, because deserts are expected to be very hot, which is not the ideal environment for ice.

In conclusion, Salvador Dali is a famous painter who is known for his surrealism paintings, and his double images. One of Dali’s most famous double image paintings is Swans Reflecting Elephants. In this painting the contrasting images of the swans and the elephants, creates a sense that everything is not what it seems to be. This image, along with the numerous other contrasting images such as the man and his shadow, and the iceberg and the pyramid helps to further the theme of appearance not matching with personalities.

