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SALVADOR DALI NEWSLETTER SPRING/SUMMER 1492 VOL. 9 NO. 2

CARMEN EXHIBIT

The Salvador Dali Museum tion premiered in 1875 at theOpera- celebrates the Museum's Tenth Comique. Carmen was not critically Anniversary by exhibiting the acclaimed in its first season. dramatic Carmen Suite. In 25 However its fame rapidly spread vibrantly colored illustrations, Dali within a few years. Bizet died just has captured the spirit of Georges three months after the first Bizet's most acclaimed opera, performance. Carmen. This lithographic collection Carmen is the tragic story of jeal- combines the unique talent and ousy and death. Don Jose, a soldier Spanish temperament of Salvador in the Spanish army, falls in love Dali to capture the essence and with the beautiful Gypsy Carmen. passion of this immortal love story He deserts the army to follow set in Seville, Spain. Carmen to her smuggler-compan- Georges Bizet, born in Paris in ions in the mountains and soon 1838, was taught music at an early discovers that Carmen has fallen in age by his parents. He entered the love with Escamillo, the bullfighter. Paris Conservatory at age nine and Jose, stunned by this revelation, fol- Don Jose's Final Appearance: The Bats won the Prix de Rome in 1857. A lows Carmen to Seville in an attempt Symbolizing Di'itth I Act IV) gifted pianist, his talents had to persuade her to start a new life manifest themselves by age 17 in with him. Jose is crazed with grief Library, but only the Habanera is an his brilliant but relatively unknown at Carmen's refusal and stabs her to authentic piece of music based on a Symphony in C. His best-known death outside the bull ring. song by the Spanish composer masterpiece, Carmen, is based on a Dali's genius for capturing the Sebastian Yradier. This familiar story by the French novelist Prosper essence of a story is never more theme of the dancer carries through Mcrimee. One of the most popular evident than when he is illustrating to the illustration entitled Love is operas ever written, Georges Bizet's a subject involving his Spanish Like a Gypsy; if She Loves You, Be on brilliantly-orchestrated composi- background. In his illustration for Guard. With a sweeping gesture of Act I, A Place in Seville, the popu- her shawl, Dali's Carmen bewitches lated square of a typical Spanish the seated Don Jose. village is the setting for the opera. In the memorable aria from Act To the right is the entrance to the II, Don Jose's Flower Sang, the tobacco factory where Carmen corporal pledges his love to Carmen: works. Dali uses figures in various "The flower you threw me/Stayed poses to represent the many players with me in prison. And though its in this operatic drama. bloom was swiftly gone,/Its Carmen appears at noon with haunting fragrance lingered on." In the other cigarette girls. They stroll Dali's interpretation, he depicts one into the square from the factory. In single red rose which appears to be what appears to be drops of swirling bleeding. Dali's use of the rose has colors a figure representing Carmen a dual meaning in this work, for it is dances the Habanera with the a symbol of Carmen's beauty, but upright arms of a Spanish dancer by making it bleed Dali has given with castanets. The music in Carmew the rose a sinister quality, l.oiv is Liken was inspired by Spanish music that suggesting Carmen's impending Gittml (Aft 1) Bizet found in books in the Paris death. — Continued next >tie -----2 DAU l\EWSLE1TFR ------SPRl\lG/SUMMER 1992 ----­ CARMC:N Co11ti1111ed from page 1 Dali depicts the setting for the third Act a-. a wild scene, C11rnH·11·s Den/It, the figure of Carmen lie" in mountain glen which conceals the smugglero.;' hideout. rep<>sL' in Don Jose'-. arm'>, dying of the stab wound to For the Ri•11dc:.l1 011s of the S11111sgh·r'-, Dali creates a cave­ her heart A '>potof rL'd glistens on the knife held in Don like location and incorporates the dolmen strulturc Josc's hand. found in hi<. oil painting [11c/11111tcd Rt'11d1 il'i//1 Three (111111c11 was published b_\ Shorewood Publishers, f/111d Graces. Dolmens arc mysterious rod. configu­ Inc. 111 Nl'\\' York in 1970 These 25 lithographs .,,,ere rations consi-.ting of two or more \ L'rtical rock:-­ pwduu:d from original Dali gouachcs. The stone-. for supporting a horizontal one. The) l,111 bl• found 111 CarnH'II,which sonwlimcs numbered cls m,1ny a, twenty­ many parts of the \'vorld, including the area near Dall'._ four pL'r image - one for Cilch color, \\ L're eXL'CU led by home in Spain. In Act Ill, The Card� Spt•II Death to -.killed craftsmL'n with Dilli'-. approval. The regular Can11c11, skeletal forms encircle Carmen as she reads her edition uf C11r111l'11 lOns1i,ts of only 250 numbered sets tragic fortune: death. The blood red coloration of printed on d' ArLhes Vellum paper, with 125 sets Carmen's dress flows into the cards wmbolizing her numbered from I to 12r:; for distribution in the United impending fate. States, and 125 copies numbL•red I to CXXV for Dali represents the final Act of Carmen with all of dbtribution outside of lhc United States. A deluxe the festive gaiety that surrounds a bullfight. A Tn/111/t• edition, limited to 26 lettered sets, were printed on to Escn111il/o portrays the proud bullfighter in full dress. Japon Paper. In addition, a special edition of Dali has applied the colors so that they run together appnnimately Jc;sets were printed for non-commercial creating the illusion of the crowds' surging movement distribution by the artbt and publisher. The stone-. in the stands. Flecks of yellow suggest the tc,ture of the \·\'ere subsequentlv destroyed. The publisher of this toreador's suit. Dali's experience with the bullfight suite had previously engaged Dali to prt)ducc two other from his Spanish heritage is represented in thrL'C lithographit suite'>entitled Aliyah and the Thrl'I! Plnys /1_11 illustrations of the bull that range from lyrical, to lht' M11rq111, cfr Sade, both published in 1968. realistic, to symbolic. In D011 /ost1's F11rnlApp c11rn11cc: The - /01111 R. Kropf Bnls Sy111l10/izi11g Dmllt, the haunted figure of Don Jose ominously overshadows the city And in the closing

Beginn111g around 196,, I lc1rtford'-. Museum, his - Co11/i1111cd Ill'\/ pase