Elongated Skull Apparitions by way of Dali

leading from

The Development of Necronom IV
and
Salvador Dali

a) The Running Influence of Salvador Dali
In 1972 Salvador Dali composed the sketch Nefertiti in 1972, Giger admitted that it was the sort of work of Dali that had inspired him but couldn't specify that this was something in particular.

I bought a copy of the book "Dali" by Ramon Gomez De La Serna back in the early 1990s, and I found in it that Dali had drawn the picture as one of the illustrations to accompany Ramon Gomez De La Serna's essay about him.

Through the decades I wondered how it might relate to Giger's inspiration for the Alien beast although it was quite possible that Giger found his own way to drawing these elongated craniums without specifically trying to copy Dali, since Giger has shown an interest in Egyptian art since he was a young boy anyway.

"Nefertiti" by Salvador Dali, 1972
(AKA by some Alien fans as "The dAlien")

In Giger's Necronomicon published in 1977 he talked about how he was able to meet Salvador Dali at Cadaques  in 1975 with the help his artist friend Robert Venosa, which led to Giger participating in the preproduction of Alexandro Jodorowsky's ill fated film project Dune.


b) In Landscape XVI painted in 1972 (work 209), we find elongated skeletal heads with translucent skulls developing.

detail from
"Landscape XVI", 1972

c) In 1975, Giger painted Biomechanoid, (work 267) the head is an elongated skull with a translucent skin showing the nearly bare bone beneath and along the side we see the organic pipe or bar perhaps formed from bone that we will see on the head of the creature in the Necronom IV painting.

Biomechanoid , (work 267) 1975

d) See also: Giger On Dali

 

Source quotes

1.  In 2009, at AlienExperience.com, Dennis Lowe the documentary maker and former Alien special effects technician, was taking questions because he was to film an interview that he was to record with H.R.Giger in Switzerland.
   
   I put forth a question to be asked about this "Dalien"  on December 12th 2009. "What brought you to start painting elongated skulls? Was a Dali's sketch of a female with a skull face and an elongated skull for 1972 for a biographical essay by Ramon Gomez De La Serna something that might have inspired you? "  My following statement on the 13th looking at Giger's possible response was: "Well one thing, Giger is going to admit Dali's influence in general, and it might be too much to expect him to have known about that "Dalien" image back then, but it would be fun if he knew about it one way or the other"
   
   Sebastien from Alienexperience.com in December 14,2009 who accompanied Dennis Lowe, having just come back home to Sweden from Switzerland said "We talked a bit off the record about the Dalien (I showed him that picture) but it was difficult trying to get the right answers you were looking for due to his limitation in English. However he did say it was a very wonderful image and that it's impossible not to be influenced by Dali - but he meant that more in general rather than just the Alien design itself." Giger's response was absolutely fine by me.