Lincoln in Dalivision pays homage to Abraham Lincoln, one of the United States of America’s most popular presidents, who held the position in the 1860s. Like many of Dalí’s artworks, it also portrays the love of his life, Dalí’s wife Gala.
Dalí’s photolith print of Lincoln in Dalivision is based on two original paintings that are housed in The Dalí Theatre-Museum in Figueres, Spain, and the Dalí Museum in St. Petersburg, Florida. These paintings are titled Gala Contemplating the Mediterranean Sea which at a distance of 20 meters is transformed into the portrait of Abraham Lincoln (Homage to Rothko). These artworks are examples of photographic mosaics (also known as photomosaics) where the image is divided into large pixels, enabling the viewer to see different images depending on the distance the artwork is observed at.
Dalí often pushed the limits of what society considered normal versus what is possible to be comprehended once memory and dream states were realised. Photomosaics are well situated within Dalí’s surrealist oeuvre because they provide the opportunity for the viewer to use memory and perception to recognise the differing images held within the artwork.
It is recommended that this artwork is viewed from a distance of twenty metres and continually inspected as you slowly approach it.