What is the Paranoiac-Critical Method?

The paranoiac-critical method was developed by Salvador Dali as a technique for accessing the subconscious mind. It involves inducing a paranoid state to create hallucinatory associations between unrelated objects and images, then critically documenting these visions while maintaining artistic control. Dali described it as a ‘spontaneous method of irrational knowledge based on the critical and systematic objectivity of the associations and interpretations of delirious phenomena.’ This systematic delirium allowed him to create his famous double images, where a single painted form simultaneously depicts multiple subjects depending on how you look at it. Unlike pure automatism, the paranoiac-critical method combines unconscious vision with conscious technical execution, producing Dali’s hyperreal depictions of impossible scenes.