Sleep has been a popular subject for artists for a very long time.  One 20th century artist, Salvador Dalí (1904-1989), made a number of paintings on this subject. The painting “Le Sommeil” or “Sleep” was painted in 1937.  

Salvador Domingo Felipe Jacinto Dalí i Domènech was born in Figueres, Catalonia, Spain on May 11th, 1904. He was a surrealist and most famous for his bizarre images.

Sleep was a subject Dalí incorporated into his artwork throughout his career. The painting “Sleep” has been described as follows: “The act of sleeping [is] a sort of monster sustained by the crutches of reality.” In this painting, the central figure is asleep, hovering, but held up by crutches. The eyes, nose, lips and chin are also supported by the crutches.

Hypnagogic hallucinations, which are vivid, dreamlike auditory and tactile sensations in sleep, have sometimes included the sensation of falling or startling. One can only imagine the figure startling if any of the crutches were to break. The painting Sleep by Salvador Dalí is a good example of how a surrealist artist would interpret sleep and its complexities.