Salvador Dalí painted “The Temptation of St. Anthony” in 1946. The oil-on-canvas work shows Saint Anthony kneeling in a desert landscape while a procession of fantastical animals carries symbols of temptation toward him.
Dalí created the painting for a competition organized by the David L. Loew–Albert Lewin film company. The intended purpose was to provide an image for the film “The Private Affairs of Bel Ami,” but Max Ernst’s version won the contest instead. Dalí’s entry nevertheless became an important work in his career.
The composition features an apparently weightless parade of elephants with extraordinarily long legs. Their burdens include an obelisk, buildings, and nude figures, while a rearing horse represents Satan. The painting is often connected with Dalí’s transition toward a more classical and spiritually focused phase, sometimes called his “Dalí Renaissance.” It is now in Brussels.