The piece I am analyzing is The Hallucinogenic Toreador by Salvador Dalí, painted in oil on canvas in 1969-1970. It is one of his monumental pieces, measuring 157 x 118 inches. The piece is entirely dedicated to Unrequited Love, inspired by the Venus de Milo and Manolete, the toreador killed by a bull during a fight. The painting itself looks very colorful and chaotic. As you step back, you see Manolete made up with the shadows of the statues of Venus. His tie, shirt and jacket are made from the statue's curtains. The Venuses themselves are arranged diagonally and become larger and larger as they approach the right side. The first two look towards the viewer, while the others look backwards. When your eye moves down the painting, you see a bull with colorful polka dots beaming. The bull appears to be drinking from a pool of water in which, when you look closely, you see a bather floating. At the edge of the pool there is another Venus, part of another diagonal line that leads to a young boy in blue. Also at the water's edge is a figure that appears to be a dog. Coming back to the young boy, if the viewer guides his gaze above him, he will see the face of an older woman, two faces of Venus and two scattered roses. And finally, at the top of the painting, we see a bullfighting arena, covered with dots that appear to become flies. Statues of Venus are found at each column. And, in the upper left corner, we see the face of a lady. Each time the viewer looks at this painting, he discovers something new, something different. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay You may be wondering why this article is about unrequited love. It has three elements that contribute to it. The first is Manolete and the bull. Manolete was adored by the Spanish people, and he was tragically killed during a bullfight by this bull, and after that he could not be loved by the country that loved him so much. The next element are the statues of Venus de Milo which are scattered throughout the painting. Her lack of arms symbolizes the fact that she can neither give nor receive love. The final piece of unrequited love in this piece is the boy in blue in the lower right corner and the women in the upper left corner. The boy symbolizes Dali in his youth and the woman is Gala, his wife. The distance between them in the painting represents the way they separate in their love. One of the most appealing parts of this painting are the warm, inviting colors. It attracts the viewer. The right side of the painting is composed of deeply warm colors, from the pinkish orange of the arena to the shocking red of the draping of the statues of Venus. Many objects on this side are outlined in yellow or orange. The left side, on the other hand, is full of cold colors; everything has a purplish-blue haze. This constitutes a contradiction not only between Manolete, on the right, and the bull on the left, but also between Dali on the right and Gala on the left. This reinforces the theme of unrequited love.Keep in mind: this is just a sample.Get a custom paper now from our expert writers.Get a custom essay Although The Hallucinogenic Toreador is a painting complex and beautiful, it captures many elements. With the language of colors and symbols, it tells a great story of unrequited love in many forms: with a bullfighter loved by his country brought to an untimely death, to the sad story of a love that fades. This is a painting that everyone can appreciate, and every viewer will see something unique..