La Jirafa Ardiente or ‘The Burning Giraffe’ is an oil painting on panel by Salvador Dali , the infamous Spanish surrealist painter. He painted the image in 1937 just prior to his exile in the USA. It shows a blue female figure with a series of open drawers ascending her leg and torso ; a figure that Dali described as Femme-coccyx or tail bone woman. Dali admired Sigmund Freud who regarded the human mind as a series of drawers to be opened. In the distance is a giraffe with its back on fire. Dalí described this image as “the masculine cosmic apocalyptic monster” and it is believed it to be a direct premonition of the second World War. For further giraffe inspired culture please visit this collection of essays and images on ‘The Cultured Giraffe Website‘.
