Dal considered some forms of 20th-century modern art barbaric and attempted in his art and writings to promote a more classical painting style.

The sensation offered by classical painting was very limited: to only one point of view, from a single point in space and frozen in time.

Many of his themes were borrowed from classical painting but distorted, ground into multiple fragments and reinvented.

From literary evidence, there may well have been panel icons which, like almost all classical painting, have disappeared.

When he was twelve years old, he began to study classical painting.