The Ambassadors
Hans Holbein the Younger
A double portrait with a skull that emerges from an oblique view.
EXPLORE THE DEMONSTRATION
Repeated Venus figures assemble into the hidden face of a bullfighter.
Open the Foundation’s reproduction. Find the white button and green tie near the centre, then look above them for the bullfighter’s face. Compare his eye and nose with the head and torso of the Venus figure.
View the painting at the Dalí Foundation ↗Illusions in painting / 1969–1970
The Hallucinogenic Toreador
Repeated Venus figures assemble into the hidden face of a bullfighter.
TRY THIS
Open the Foundation’s reproduction. Find the white button and green tie near the centre, then look above them for the bullfighter’s face. Compare his eye and nose with the head and torso of the Venus figure.
FOLLOW THE SOURCES
History, evidence & image credit
Frequently asked questions
What is The Hallucinogenic Toreador?
Repeated Venus figures assemble into the hidden face of a bullfighter.
What should I look for in The Hallucinogenic Toreador?
Open the Foundation’s reproduction. Find the white button and green tie near the centre, then look above them for the bullfighter’s face. Compare his eye and nose with the head and torso of the Venus figure.
What explains The Hallucinogenic Toreador?
A statue’s head and body double as parts of a larger face. Shading and surrounding shapes join the separate figures into the bullfighter’s portrait when you attend to the whole composition.
Another way to see it
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Vertumnus
Giuseppe Arcimboldo
Rudolf II appears as a face assembled from fruit, flowers, and vegetables.
Slave Market with the Disappearing Bust of Voltaire
Salvador Dalí
Two figures beneath an arch become the eyes of a much larger face.