At first glance you notice the tigers. They jump right out at you. Then you notice they're jumping on a very beautiful and naked lady. The model just happens to be the painter's wife, Gala. The painter is Salvador Dalí.
What is that monstrosity in the background? It's an elephant with elongated legs that must be 100-feet long. Those legs are grotesque. What's that rotting vegetable there behind the tigers. Hmm... must be the pomegranate. Maybe. And is it rotting or has it just exploded a fish? Which we now notice is where the tigers are leaping from -- right out of the fish's mouth.
And the beautiful woman isn't quite resting on that rock ledge - she's hovering just above it. And wait -- there's a rifle with bayonet fixed just sitting in the air by itself with the bayonet just lightly piercing her bicep.
In the background there is an obligatory rock offshore in the sea -- a Dalí object that appears frequently in his paintings. In the foreground is another pomegranate. Just floating in the air minding its own business. And circling it is a bee. Remember, this surreal dreamscape was caused by a bee.
The various objects here are painted with clarity and realism -- but their juxtaposition, the context, is illogical. And what is that pyramidal object on the elephant's back?
This is one of Dalí's more eye-catching works. It's like a pop song with a great melodical hook and meaningless lyrics. In this case cotton candy for the eye instead of the ear. If there's a meaning here I missed it. I appreciate the beauty of it, but it leaves me unsatisfied. It makes a great poster, though. And Gala is/was gorgeous.
Dream Caused by the Flight of a Bee around a Pomegranate, One Second before Awakening was created by Salvador Dalí in 1945. | 
