The strange, whimsical, and wonderful world of Surrealist art is characterized by depictions of alternate realities, powerful juxtapositions, metamorphosis and reality-shifting, and fluid, nuanced brushstrokes. The Metamorphosis of Narcissus was painted in 1937 by one of the most important surrealists of all time, the Spanish artist Salvador Dalì. James Gleeson was an Australian contemporary of Dali and his 1939 painting, The Attitude of Lightning Towards a Lady-Mountain, is equally iconic of the Surrealist movement. Although painted just two years apart, they are very different. This is largely due to the subject matter, the purpose of the works, and the cultural differences between Spain and 1930s Australia. However there are some similarities in the use of dramatic colour, symbolism and technique. Both are inspired by surrealist values ​​such as the subconscious, dreams, myths and legends. Both works are typically surrealist in genre and philosophy. The techniques used reveal insights into the genre and philosophy behind these paintings. Surrealism has its roots in the ideas of Dada. According to the Metropolitan Museum of Art (2014), Dada focuses on automatism where there is little or no planning of works of art – a concept that is explored in René Magritte's quote. This gave way to the more artificial and conceptual manifestations witnessed in the paintings of Dali and Gleeson. Dalì used what he called "hand-painted color photography" (Mariorenzi, 2005) to represent Narcissus' transformation with a hallucinatory effect. This is what gives it the surrealist effect. Magrette's definition is very concrete, however surrealism is a vague term that encompasses many ideas. Just because it doesn't meet some criteria, it doesn't... middle of the paper... doesn't have much difference. These differences arise from the difference in purpose due to the artists' heritage, culture and beliefs. Both the Metamorphosis of Narcissus and The Attitude of Lightning towards a Lady-Mountain are excellent examples of Surrealist paintings. There are many similarities and differences that exist between the two works of art. The differences are largely due to the artists' heritage, their beliefs and experiences, as well as the culture of the period. Although the motivations and what the works depict are different, the way they do so is distinctively surrealist. Both Gleeson and Dali reflected aspects of René Magritte's definition of surrealism in their paintings in the techniques employed and use of symbolism. Like all art, surrealism is open to interpretation and hence differences in the definition of "surrealist".".