Surrealism
Art
BY Quintet
Salvador Dali
2
Salvador did more than just paintings . He did movies ,sculpture ,graphic art ,Photographs and more......
Salvador Dali was famous for his curled mustache and unique take on life. He devoured artistic concepts. He combined them with his remarkable imagination and practically created his own universe. Although he split with the surrealists, critics can’t help but mention his paintings when discussing the movement. Starting from a young age, He created more than 1500 paintings. He mastered various art forms; illustrations, prints, drawings, and paintings. You name it he did it. He enabled us to see life in all of its ugly manifestations. He produced beautiful, sometimes even scary and grotesque representations of his dreams and subconscious mind. His creativity and often acentric appearance and style left a lasting impression on the lives and artwork of future generations.
The Beginning
Salvador Dali was born on May 11, 1904 to Salvador and Felipa Dali. Salvador Sr. was a lawyer and notary of the Catalonia region, in the town of Figueres, Spain. Salvador was very curious about the world around him. In frustration he often had emotional outbursts that his father did not sit well with. His mother became the mediator between the two, offering kindness when his father was strict with discipline. Salvador displayed talent very young in the area of art. His parents even built him an art studio in their home. They enrolled him in an art school in Figueres in 1916. His parents want to encourage this positive aspect of his life. They set up and exhibition for him in their house in in 1917 and in 1919 at the Municipal theater in Figueres.This included charcoal drawings and early paintings; Landscape near Figueras, Vilabertin, Fiesta in Figueras, View of Cadaques, with shadow of Mount Pani, Crepuscular Old man and others.
It seems his whole life was surrounded by famous people. His sister Ana Maria would later recount her memories of their childhood as well in her book, Dali as seen by his sister, recalling Famous Barcelona football players Sagibarba and Joseph Samiter, playing Football at their summer House with them. He met Ramon Pichot who was a famous artist in his local area, who told him about His trips to France. (pg. 10)Salvador’s mother died from breast cancer in 1921 when he was 16. He said” (It) was the greatest blow I had experienced in my life. “ She was the only person whom he felt completely understood him and gave him the freedom to be who he was without ridicule.(The secret life ,152-154) His father later married his aunt and Salvador seemed to accept the marriage.
In 1922 Dali attended the school of Fine arts and lived on campus in Madrid. He stood out as he had long hair, side burns and dressed like the English dignitaries he had not doubt studied in his fine arts training. He had exposure to modernism in his travels but was now experimenting with cubism. He didn’t understand it completely, as there weren’t many cubism artists in the region, but as the student population became more interested in him for attempting this feat he became more popular. He got inspiration from magazines and pictures given to him from Pichot. he continued experimenting with different art from including metaphysics and Dada, which can be seen in his later artwork as well.(a-z,1996) His was suspended in 1923 for starting a riot among the student body over the teachers at the school . During his suspension he was arrested for supporting the separatist movement. He claimed to have no political interest, and remained hypocritical towards it his entire life. In 1924 he illustrated a poem for his friend Carles Fages de Climent The Witches of Llers.He continued experimenting by dabbled in still life ,painting his sister Ana Maria in ;Figure at the window(1925) , The basket of bread(1926) and Girl from Figueres(1926).He later returned to school in 1926 but was permanently expelled after he claimed that there wasn’t anyone at the school who was intelligent enough to grade his final exams. He continue to evolve his persona in art and in life studying classical art by Raphela ,Bronzio and even adapted his now famous curled mustache from Diego Velazquez(bio.com 1).
Embracing Surrealism
After expulsion he visited Paris where he met Pablo Picasso and Joan Miro. Between 1926and 1930 Dali visited them frequently. Miro, Picasso, Magritte, and poet Paul Eluard, introduced Dali to Surrealism. The paintings he produced during this time where heavily influenced by them; Honey is sweeter than blood(1927), The Lugubrious Game(1929),The great Masturbator(1929), The first days of Spring(1929) and The profanation of the host(1929) . The year of 1929 was the start of many things for Dali. He joined the Surrealists lead by Andre Brenton and he held his first one man show in Paris. He and film director Luis Bunuel created the film An Andalusian Dog, in which he wrote parts of the script. He was a fan of Sigmund Freud’s theories on Psychoanalysis and found it enjoyable to create paintings that explored the deeper meanings of his dreams. His style evolved again. Surrealism spoke to him. It provided him with another outlet in which he could be himself. Encyclopedia Britannica explains the reason his artistic style matured “His discovery of Sigmund Freud’s writing on erotic significance of subconscious imagery, and his affiliation with the surrealists in Paris” (Bio 1). He was famous for taking drugs to induce his “paranoiac critical “state. He thought it enhanced his creativity. Dali seemed too focused at this time on using sexual symbolism, as to describe sensation and what these feelings may mean. He used a collage format to fit multiple scenes in one painting. These paintings where filed with dream like images no doubt using some classical techniques from early renaissance artists. He also met Paul Elaurd’s wife Elena Diakonova. her nickname was Gala. Although she was 10 years older than him, he fell deeply in love with her and she left Eluard to be with him. Eluard continued to work with Dali on various shows and exhibitions after that dispite this event.
In 1930 he collaborated again with Luis Bunuel in the film The Golden Age. It is remembered for its startling opening scene in which a human eye is slashed open by a razor blade. Now rising to fame he attracted clientele. Viscount and Viscountess Charles and Marie Laure were his first patrons. The husband and wife bought many Avant -garde style art in the 1920’s. Dali continued to paint and in 1931 created The persistence of memory. It is famously synonymous with the surrealist movement. The watches in the painting seem to melt. Projecting the thought that time has no meaning in his world but everything else is dead or can be destroyed. An idea animated by Einstein’s theory as well.
Breaking with Surrealists and politics
In 1934 there was a trial against Salvador and he was expelled from the surrealists. It is speculated that Salvador sympathized with Francisco Franco of Spain. I would say this was expected because he was from Spain. Dali said that his expulsion was officially recorded “He (Salvador) had repeatedly been guilty of counter revolutionary activity involving the celebration of fascism under Hitler.”(bio.com 2) I have the stance that it was because he and Andre Brenton had a disagreement on where his loyalties lied. I offer this as proof. Dali was against politics, or more correctly did not choose sides and had probably not sit well with mixing art with politics. Brenton was known for breaking with anyone who disagreed with him and changing his theories on politics often. First agreeing with the Rimbaud, Poe and Sade, then changing to revolutionaries and breaking with their doctrine as well .One of their members, Aragon, had already broken with Surrealists to pursue Communism. By 1935 most of the surrealists of the time had aligned themselves with communist ideals. (Fowlie112-114).
George Orwell author of Dicken’s Dali and others, didnt care for Dali’s apoltital stance either. He makes several comments about Dali’s departure from countries during War time. He explains his distane stating, “During the Spanish Civil War he astutely avoids taking sides and makes a trip to Italy…drawn to aristocracy frequents smart salons ,finds himself wealthy patrons and is photographed…”When the European War approaches he has one preoccupation only ;how to find a place which has good cookery and from which he can make a quick bolt if danger comes too near. He fixes on Bordeaux and duly flees to Spain during the battle of France…then makes for America. “ Orwell I guess was upset that Dali had not choosen a cause in the political arena as so many other artists had done.
The surrealists where upset that Salvador was so over the top with his antics that it was taking away from his artworks presence in society. Brenton started calling him “Avida Dollars “. The Surrealists were angered that Salvador did crazy things for shock value. He undoubtedly did this to increase his fame in order to achieve status and money. The Surrealists began to shun him. They were mean to him and often said he was dead to them. In his defense he remained popular and wealthy much of his life, because he gave the people what they wanted. He continued to be involved with surrealists for years after. Carlos Lozano writes in his autobiography, Sex Surrealism Dali and me, that Dali never stopped being a surrealist. Dali said “the only difference between me and them is that I am a surrealist.”
Salvador Dali
May 11, 1904 –January 23, 1989
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