Salvador Dali: Three Sphinxes of Bikini

Salvador Dali's painting titled Three Sphinxes of Bikini portrays a strange and confusing image when first looked upon as it appears to be the backside of a human head, a tree with a gaping hole in the center and a replica of the first image off in the distance. However, after looking upon the image a number of times, the image farthest back seems to become more clear. In fact, it is not a replica of the first image but a nuclear mushroom cloud errupting in the distance. Perhaps this cannot be recognized without knowing some history about Dali or the events of his time, but this small detail makes all the difference in understanding his painting as an image concieving some meaning and rational thought.
Dali lived through World War II, and became quite interested in science as he was so inspired by the shock of Hiroshima and the drawing of the "atomic age". What this image reflects is the actions of the U.S. in Bikini Atoll where they conducted 23 nuclear tests which, naturally, caused radioactive contamination on those Islands. As a surrealist painter, Dali was inspired to paint an expression of inner experience rather that a portrayal of reality however, he hardly ever conveyed the true meaning of his work in order to keep people curious. So, in this image you see the nuclear mushroom cloud which may represent distruction, the tree which may represent nature, and the human head which must represent humanity. The fact that they all embody the same shape may represent a strong, yet subconscious relationships between humanity, nature, and distruction with nature being the most wodely affected, as the tree is positioned closest to the nuclear cloud.