Forgotten Horizon, 1936 by Salvador Dali

Salvador Dali painted Forgotten Horizon in 1936. One of a series of small oil paintings on wood panel, it depicts the beach at Rosas on the east coast of Spain with a group of alluringly posed dancers, meant to stimulate the imagination and subconscious.

Dali's disturbing, imaginary landscapes often contain references to his own life. Forgotten Horizon is a typical example, drawing upon memories of childhood holidays on the beach at Rosas on the Costa Brava. The painting is distinctive for its pale, crepuscular ambiance and for the detail with which Dali captured its strange array of subjects - a troupe of ballet dancers allegedly copied from a vintage postcard (now lost), the remains of a decrepit boat, a man reclining on the sand, and a mysterious figure striding across the landscape in the background - all on a minute scale.

The woman in the background is identifiable as the artist's cousin, Carolinetta, who appears in several other works from this series. Dali intended the effect to be hallucinatory, with the figures appearing as if projected onto a prepared background or theatrical set.