Roger,
I am afraid you need a little background and some clues with this one in order to understand what it is meant to convey. I just remembered that I read the info before I posted it but I later forgot, my fault actually.
The Weaning of Furniture-Nutrition (1934)
The center portion of this painting shows Dali's aging nurse Lucia sitting with her back to us, in the position of a netmender. Netmending was an important task in the Catalan fishing villages of Dali's youth, and he associates that importance with Lucia. The hole cut from her back is a paranoiac-critical transformation whose original inspiration came from Dali's visit to Paris in 1928. There he visited the Hotel of the Invalids, which sported windows made from mannequins with holes cut into their mid-riffs. He transforms them into the seated Lucia here, who is also shown being propped up by a crutch, here a symbol of solemnity, a wish by Dali to support her as she grows older.
Next to Lucia, to her right, are a medicine table and bottle, supposedly the 'object' that has been removed from Lucia's back. Next to that is another smaller chest and bottle, these having been removed from the first.
To Lucia's left are 4 fishing boats which have been pulled up onto the shoreline. As is suggested by both Lucia's netmending, and the boats themselves, fishing was of paramount importance to the Catalonians on the coastline. Despite the craggy rocks and treacherous currents, fish had always been a staple in Dali's time. Farther off in the distance are a building and then the unique stepped hills of the Coasta Brava.
This work is actually very small in person, like many of the oil on panel paintings that Dali was doing at the time. It is reported that some of these were fashioned by Dali's use of a single horsehair for a brush, creating intricate levels of detail. When viewed in person, one can actually see the individual brush strokes in this work, which imparts a new sense of respect for Dali's still blooming talents.
Quote:
Of the previous three my preference is for
The Weaning of Furniture-Nutrition
However, I have no idea what it really aims to say.