Salvador Dali - Divine Comedy Decomposition


Salvador Dali
Spanish (1904 – 1989)

Salvador Dali Divine Comedy Decomposition 

Between 1951 and 1960, Dali created 101 watercolor drawings to interpret the Divine Comedy, a poem by Dante Alighieri (1265-1321). These works have been reproduced using a wood engraving technique. With this technique, wood engravers carved 3500 blocks for the prints that make up the suite. Each woodblock print required 30 – 35 separate blocks be carved and printed to make up the final print. The process of separating the colors, as is done by printing each block, is called decomposition. Special editions of the complete set of the Divine Comedy included as set of decompositions. We offer a very special edition of the Divine Comedy, one where each of the 6 volumes contains a decomposition.

The first woodblock is printed. Then the second decomposition is printed both separately and combined with the first, so you can view the progression of color addition. Below is shown one set of decompositions for the special volume. Click on the thumbnail to view the decomposition for that print.

Available for sale are:

1) The complete book with 18 engraving as described. Available

E-mail for Price and condition report. Call us for more information.

Click on the thumbnail for a larger image.

Divine Comedy Decomposition