Salvador Dali - 1904-1989
Salvador Dali was born in 1904, in Figueras, Spain and studied at the Ecole des Beaux Arts in Madrid in the 1920s. Holding his first one man show in 1925, he seemed to be influenced by several art movements and blended a variety of styles and techniques. In 1928, he met Picasso and several other Parisian Surrealists such as Miro, and Masson. For the next ten years he wa
...see more »s a leader in the Surrealism movement.
Dali's images often seemed to be nightmares and fantasies due to the metaphysical and exhibitionistic influences. While he seemed to also appreciate realism in details, the dreamlike images often appeared to be hallucinations. A great example of this odd combination of fantasy, surrealism and realistic detail is his 1931 painting "The Persistence of Memory", where melting clocks are defined in every perfect detail, with a landscape in the background. Throughout his life, Dali cultivated eccentricity and exaggerated a predisposition towards narcissistic exhibitionism, claiming that his creative energies were derived from it.
Salvador Dali is most often associated with the Surrealism movement in art, using what he named "critical paranoia' in his paintings. However, he was actually thrown out of the movement in 1937 due to artistic differences with Breton, another Surrealist painter. For a brief period, he changed his painting style under the influence of the Italian artist, Raphael. While living in the U.S. for the next 12-15 years, Dali was a noted eccentric and celebrity and was given the nickname "Avida Dollars", which was an anagram of his name that highlighted his fondness for money. He returned to Spain around 1955 as a very public figure, throwing big parties, and marrying his model and muse, Gala. Dali claimed that his creativity was inspired through his exhibitionistic life style.
An artist of varied talents, Dali painted in several mediums. He created 101 watercolors for "The Divine Comedy illustrated by Salvador Dali" between 1951 and 1960. This amazing set of illustrations was painted for the volume celebrating the 700th anniversary of Dante's birth and is recognized as possibly Dali's best work. In 1965 he began working with sculpture and mirrored several ideas and concepts from his paintings. Other artistic endeavors included jewelry design, writing, and film work with Surrealist director Luis Buñuel and a dream sequence for Alfred Hitchcock's "Spellbound" in 1945. In 1974 he set up the Dali Museum in Figueras and there is another in the U.S. in St. Petersburg, Florida. Salvador Dali's works are treasured in museums all over the world, as the public is continually fascinated by his imagination and creative visions.
Partial list of important works:
Christ of Saint John of the Cross
Cinquenta, Tigre Real
City of Drawers
Clock Explosion
Female Figure with Head of Flowers, 1937
Crucifixion (Corpus Hybercubus), 1954
Disintegration of Persistence
Disintegration of Persistence Of Memory
Flaming Giraffe
Gala Contemplating the Mediterranean
Idylle Atomique
In Voluptate Mors
Landscape With Butterflies
Metamorphosis of Narcissus
Reve Cause Par Le Vol D'une Abeille Auto
Rose Meditative
Swans Reflecting Elephants
The Hallucinogenic Toreador, 1969-70
The Persistence of Memory« see less
