With Da Vinci’s pursuit of flight, he sketched an object that looked very similar to a spaceship and ended up resembling the carrier that Curiosity (the Mars land rover) used in its finale of its journey. This was after both Dali’s and Da Vinci’s times. But Dali realized this desire to pursue the beyond and represented a mars-esk space with the symbology of the flight.
This work is part of the "Hommage a Leonardo da Vinci" portfolio (Great Inventions), which is full of Dalí's fantastical creations made as a sincere and very personal tribute to the artists Renaissance idol, Leonardo da Vinci. The suite of 12 original engravings, combined with colour by pochoir and etchings, compels art-lovers across the globe to reflect on the many achievements of both masters. The two artists shared many interests including their passion for not only fine art, but a variety of scientific topics, including physics, engineering, and arithmetic. Their dynamic, multi-faceted personalities pushed them to undertake an abundance of creative projects, many of which diverge from artist inquiry and instead centre around invention and innovation.