Written by: Alex Broening Salvador Dali is difficult to describe. Throughout his life he explored a vast variety of styles and mediums, switching between them often. Dali also seemed to personify the idea of a paradox. Even as an extremely public figure, Salvador Dali remained extremely enigmatic, and while fascinated by the metaphysical, Dali greatly desired wealth and fame. Dalí was a remarkably interesting artist, and his art, well known and ubiquitous, clearly shows both his eccentricity and genius. Born in 1904 on the outskirts of Barcelona, Dalí was an peculiar child. Self-centered, quick to anger, and very sensitive, he was clearly different than most children. He quickly showed an aptitude for art, and his mother actively encouraged his interest, nurturing his creativity and wild imagination. By the age of 10, Dalí was receiving drawing lessons, and was enrolled in the Royal Academy of Fine Arts of San Fernando in Madrid in his late teens. Dalí’s skill was apparent, but his flamboyant and slightly odd personality continued to cause problems. Dalí experimented with a vast range of styles during his time at the Academy, but was ultimately expelled without a diploma when he refused to perform his oral exam in front of three professors that he believed were massively less intelligent than himself. After his expulsion, Dalí was inspired by futurism and cubism, as well as artists such as Giorgio de Chirico and Joan Miró. He was also interested in Freud’s idea of Psychoanalysis, and was drawn to a group of French Surrealists who were dedicated to making art with the application of Freud’s theories. Dalí really emerged into the Paris art scene with his contribution to the filming of Luis Bruñuel’s Un Chien Andalou (An Andalusian Dog). This 17-minute film released in 1929 was incoherent and dreamlike, showing sequences including a razor cutting into a woman’s eye, ants eating a rotten hand, and priests dragging dead donkeys. The film was sexually and politically shocking and made Dalí well known – even infamous. Dalí was soon invited to join the Surrealists, and began to produce the surreal art for which he is well known today. In the 1930s, Dalí became so invested in the psychoanalytical ideas of Freud and the dream-like quality of surrealism that he created his own method for an artist to tap into their subconscious. Called the Paranoiac Critical Method, Dalí claimed that through “systematic irrational thought and self-induced paranoid states,” he could tap into his unconscious and trigger a dreamlike state. Upon emergence from those states, Dalí would paint his dream-scapes, producing famous works such as The Persistence of Memory and Soft Construction with Boiled Beans (Premonition of Civil War). Dalí’s works were filled with Freudian imagery as well as imagery he saw in his own dreams. He believed that these images and themes such as death, eroticism, and space were universally part of human subconsciousness, and that the symbols could be used to communicate to everyone through emotions, ideas, and instinct. In 1939, Dalí was removed from the Surrealist group by André Breton because of their different political beliefs. While his art stayed as charged and as bewildering as it had always been, Dalí began to explore more traditional styles of painting. Dalí’s fame grew, and so did his interactions with the wealthy and the famous. Between 1940, and 1948, Dalí lived in the United States, both in New York City and in California. In this time, he expanded his scope, designing sets, jewelry, clothing, and furniture. Dalí’s focus on wealth and fame naturally drew him to Hollywood, but he found little fame there. While in Hollywood, however, he worked with director Alfred Hitchcock to create the dream-sequence in the 1945 movie Spellbound. Dalí also worked with Walt Disney on the cartoon Destino, however that was put on hold, and only completed in 2003. After returning to Spain, Dalí continued to evolve, beginning a long period in which he made increasing use of visual illusions, trompe l'oeil, and negative space. While retaining much of his Surrealist roots, he became fascinated with nuclear physics and the role it played in his society, developing a style that he called “Nuclear Mysticism.” His 1951 Raphaelesque Head Exploding is an example of Dalí’s explorations into this territory. Dalí was just as famous for his stunts and publicity as for his art. Always the flamboyant character, Dalí often performed stunts to attract the public’s attention. Showing up to a lecture in a Rolls Royce painted as a cauliflower, and lying in a robe on a bed in a bookstore to promote his book are just a few examples of what was a common occurrence for Dalí. Dalí’s wife died in 1982, leaving Dalí in a state of deep depression. Dalí remained largely bedridden until his own death in 1989 at 84 years old. Dalí’s surrealism had had an enormous effect on the art of the 20th century, and would remain distinct and iconic for decades to come.
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ContributorsJACQUELINE YU is the co-founder of the MLWGS art history online magazine. She is an incredible artist and devotes much of her time to both participating in, experiencing, and appreciating art. Archives
April 2019
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