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Taking its young readers onto a whimsical journey into the realm of dreams, “Alice in Wonderland” has been the subject of multiple analyses, some praising it for its inventive absurdity, and some identifying supposed darker undertones of its meaning. However, Salvador Dali’s 1969 homage to the novel, “Mad Tea Party,” takes the idea of reading new meanings into the text to a whole new level. Although the connections that Dali’s painting evokes are mostly speculations and the extension of the artist’s own wild imagination, there is an obvious link between the two art pieces. Being aimed at adults rather than children and incorporating the concepts of relevance of time, plasticity of dreams, and the complicated process of interpreting them as the distorted narratives of observed reality, Dali’s heliogravures complement Carroll’s book perfectly.
Even when considering Dali’s artwork for the first time, one will inevitably notice that the “Mad Tea Party” is oversaturated with metaphors and symbols. The specified characteristic of the piece adds to the overall impression that the book leaves, expanding it and allowing older audiences to be engaged. Moreover, since the book itself is typically referred to as the children’s story, the passage of time occurring between reading it and viewing the art piece allows the adult audience to revisit their childhood impressions and view the novel from a new angle.
Moreover, delving into the imagery of Dali’s art piece from the perspective of an adult, one will recognize multiple symbolic components that hint at the complexity of the original text’s narrative. The first symbolic element that springs to one’s attention when considering the image is the clock that represents the centerpiece of the picture together with the tree. The described items allude to the clock and the tree featured at the very beginning of the novel, hinting at the possibility of the two having additional layers of meaning. Namely, the tree, at which the protagonist’s adventure starts, may also be interpreted as the representation of life, which is often found in many cultures, including not only Western one, but also an array of others (Guest 10). For instance, the allusion to the tree as the symbol of the cosmic object, which links the world of the living and the world of the dead, could be seen in the specified items (Guest 10). Remarkably, the notion of a tree as the object that connects different worlds has been reflected in many cultures, the Scandinavian one being the most broadly known, with its concept of Yggdrasil being the most recognizable one (Guest 10). However, in Celtic culture, the concept of a tree as the object that bears strong spiritual significance and, therefore, links the two realms, is also present (Guest 10). Therefore, with the tree being placed at the forefront at the painting, it could be considered the symbolic representation of the heroine’s journey into a different realm.
Another obvious allusion to the story that makes Dali’s work complement Carroll’s seemingly naïve and light-hearted children’s story, the clock in the painting also deserves closer attention. In the book, the clock plays a massive role, being one of the key plot devices that launches the entire story into action (Hilbert 259). In a rather amusing and incredible coincidence, clock as a shorthand for the symbolic representation of time also has a notably crucial place in Dali’s work (Hilbert 260). Therefore, while the specified item complements the story, reminding the audience of the plasticity of time and dreams in Carroll’s narrative, it also imbues the novel with the meaning that clock has in Dali’s whimsical world (Hilbert 260). Therefore, at the specified juncture, a rapid change in the perception of the art piece occurs. Specifically, while it used to be an addition to Carroll’s fantastic piece, it suddenly becomes a fully autonomous artwork, though containing multiple references to the novel. As a result, Dali’s art piece could be interpreted in different ways in the context of Carroll’s book.
However, on further scrutiny, the artwork seems to deviate from the formula introduced by Carroll and, instead, inject Dali’s reality into Carroll’s whimsical world. The specified change introduces the fairytale setting o the idea of surrealism as it is interpreted by Dali, namely, as the refuge of those living in the world that was on the brink of collapse (Hilbert 261). Therefore, creating the art pieces that defied reason and logic served bit as the means of escaping the reality that caused intense sorrow and pain was a rather natural response to the atrocities observed in the real world (Hilbert 262). Dali’s paintings, being masterfully chaotic and morbidly unnatural, impeccably reflect the specified idea of the dire need for a refuge from insanity while having no opportunity to find one (Hilbert 262). Having become a trademark characteristics of Dali’s paintings, the specified atmosphere quickly became ubiquitous in his artworks.
As a result, the “Mad Tea Party” injects the described meaning into the novel and the scene in question, therefore, introducing painful reality to a seemingly lighthearted children’s book. Consequently, the painting adds the reference to death, making it synonymous to a dream, which is a meaning initially absent from Carroll’s book (Hilbert 261). The specified change allows reinventing “Alice in Wonderland” narrative and viewing it through a darker, more somber lens. Specifically, in the described realm, Alice’s journey gains an additional symbolic meaning, with the concept of a dream becoming interchangeable with that one of death (Hilbert 261). The specified addition, while definitely not being geared toward the target demographic for the book, allows adults revisit their childhood experiences of reading the novel and examining the changes in their perception of the dichotomies of reality and fantasy, as well a life and death (Hilbert 264). Thus, the painting invites the audience to stretch the boundaries of the unknown.
Finally, when considering visual properties of the art piece, especially when compared to the descriptions of imagery in the book, one could see Dali’s painting as a complementary piece to Carroll’s book that represents a journey from childhood to adulthood and, ultimately, the process of aging. Specifically, while Carroll’s world is visually pleasing and colorful, Dali’s artwork features mostly full colors and is overall withered and lifeless (Hilbert 263). Therefore, the painting could be seen as a farewell to the novel and its childhood whimsy.
Despite the fact that Dali’s art piece is geared toward an entirely different age group than that one of Carroll’s novel, the two artworks need to be examined in tandem in order to gauge the extent of nuance and profundity encoded in the dream-related narrative of the story. Specifically, the heliography questions the boundary between reality and dreams, therefore, providing an additional commentary to Carroll’s work and making it even more profound. Therefore, the two art pieces should be examined in tandem, with Dali’s work representing a chance at peeking through the door that separates the world of the ordinary and that one of wild imagination.
Works Cited
Guest, Gerald B. “The Tree: Symbol, Allegory, and Mnemonic Device in Medieval Art and Thought.” Faculty Bibliography, 2017, vol. 10, pp. 1-8.
Hilbert, Teresa. “Exploring the Surreal in Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland: Visual Representations by Lewis Carroll, John Tenniel and Salvador Dalí.” Everything is a Story: Creative Interactions in Anglo-American Studies. APEAA, pp. 257-267.
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