Galatea of the Spheres, 1952 by Salvador Dali
The painting above is an illustration of Gala Eluard Dali, a great work done during the nuclear mysticism period. It is a representation of the theory of disintegration of the atom and takes into account all of Gestalt's Principles, allowing for a complex figure to be perceived. There is almost an overlapping of laws flowing smoothly in unison, revealing the fragmentation of who we are as a whole yet how complex and microscopic we are on an atomic level. The law of continuation is a great place to start in this picture, where as the mind is coerced to move throughout the sphere's flow into the center, it is endowed to the infinite portrayal of the spheres that displays the level at which one continues inward in search through oneself until one meets at a strand of dna and one's very own existence . It is a transcending flow that feels like an engulfing rift into a void where one finds enlightenment. Another principle expressed is the proximity of the spheres, in which their placement allows for a perception of their grouping to occur within, they are singular like atoms but together create a whole as in our being. They come together all with different images within them yet aggregated allowing the law of figure and ground to take place within and around them to create a picture in a whole. The background helps differentiate the appearance of her figure yet a manifesting luster shines through each sphere into the other. Her face being incomplete is brought together in closure of the spheres, there is enough shape to indicate a face so the mind perceives whatever form is missing. The accumulation of all of Gestalt's principles allows for an inordinate phenomenon to occur in the mind's eye, in which a cavalcade of harmony encompasses the viewers perception and allows them to perceive form in unobscured brilliance.
Works cited
Dali, Salvador. (1952). Galatea of the spheres. Oil on canvas. retrieved from http://www.salvador-dali.org/museus/teatre-museu-dali/the-collection/131/galatea-of-the-spheres