Dali's World Term Paper Examples

In the world of art -- especially painting -- the name Salvador Dali is synonymous with surrealism. Dali painted dreams on canvas that gave birth to new vistas -- landscapes of terror and amusement where time stood at a standstill, and viewers are lured into the fantastic, more-than-real world that Dali forged from his daily existence. Dali stood at the vanguard of the Surrealist movement, and his paintings now fetch upwards of hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Born on May 11, 1904, in Figueres, Spain, Dali exhibited artistic talent -- and notable eccentricities -- from an early age. Dali mastered other painting styles before he led the blossoming Surrealist Movement. For example, in "Portrait of Mrs. Mary Sigall," Dali's signature surrealistic imagery is not evident. A beautiful woman clad in a red, low-cut shawl forms the center of the painting. Hints of Surrealistic imagery populate the dream-like background, as the subject gazes in calm repose. She appears life-like -- a hallmark characteristic of the style of Realism. Dali also experimented with Impressionism. For example, one of Dali's paintings -- a simple potted plant with succulent leaves -- is an example of his few Impressionistic efforts. With its soft colors and muted shades of green, it also leaves a soft impression on the psyche of the viewer. Impressionism was a movement that stressed the impression that an object left on the painter's senses. Dali also experimented with the cubist style of painting. Cubism can be viewed as stressing angles, and utilizing geometric relationships between objects in paintings. Dali, on one canvas, paints four massive women in a Cubist-inspired style. Their clumpiness and bulk are represented by angular, geometric relationships -- very similar to forms painted by Cubism's most-famous painter, Picasso. However, Surrealism would prove to be Dali's artistic calling card. Dali's muse was Diakonova, aka Gala, a Russian woman who was ten years his senior. Gala was a much more practical person than the oft-eccentric and extravagant Dali, and managed his finances, as well as his business matters, including bookings for exhibitions.
First and foremost, Dali was a Surrealist painter. He used the canvas to bring dreams to fruition, impossible vistas of the imagination, things that did not accurately reflect the relationship between painter and subject matter, distortions that played with objects as if clay on canvas. The dream-like quality of Surrealism set it apart from Cubism, Realism, Impressionism, and Symbolism.
One of my favorite paintings was Liberte des Libertes by Joan Miro. It is a lithograph of a size of about 18" by 14". The painting is an abstract Expressionistic work with a diversity of colors that seemingly represent people or entities. A series of black, crossed lines permeate the canvas, and the abstraction is complemented by thick, varied coloration that gives the lithograph the appearance of three-dimensionality. The squiggly, black lines are symbolic, denoting crosses which have religious import.
I saw another very intriguing etching by Paul Klee called "Woman and Animal". The etching measures 183 mm X 199 mm. It portrays a woman who is being pursued by an antelope. The woman is standing upon a large boulder, and is situated much higher than the antelope, symbolizing her superiority over the bestial in man. The etching is highly symbolic, and done in an abstract manner, as the scene is distorted, clearly-imaginary, and represents Klee's beliefs at the time of its conception.
My next favorite drawing was by Picasso, and was a study that was done in preparation for one of his most famous paintings, Les Mademoiselles d'Avignon. It is of a seated nude and head of a woman that was probably done in early 1905. It measures approximately 626 mm by 460 mm. Before the British Museum acquired the drawing, it was the property of Douglas Cooper, who was one of Picasso's close friends. The drawing, in pencil, was striking in the sense that it showed how Picasso prepared for one of his masterpiece paintings with sketching. The seated nude is massive for a woman, and Picasso's skill at rendering line and form are evident in this work. I checked out the actual painting, Les Mademoiselles d'Avignon, and was fascinated by how Picasso translated this sketch into such a pre-Cubist work. The drawing is almost palpable because of its mass and shapes.
I also liked an etching by William Blake, called Albion Rose, with hand-drawn additions in watercolor and ink. A strikingly dramatic etching, it depicts an angelic Albion Rose -- nude -- in the foreground, while a phosphorescent sunburst fills up the background. The etching is also called "Glad Day", or "The Dance of Albion". The original conception for the etching is thought to date back to 1780. William Blake was also a notable poet. It is a highly-symbolic work insofar as it represents the emancipation of humanity and Britain from the manacles of materialism. The etching measures approximately 265 mm by 188 mm. The plate itself was once a part of the Large Book of Designs, which was printed in 1796 for the painter of miniatures, Ozias Humphrey. The etching appears to exemplify Blake's own interpretation of Realism, but has a supernatural, Biblical sensibility and its proportions (object vs. background) are skewed. Albion occupies most of the etching's positive space.
I saw many hidden images, primarily in Dali's paintings. For example, in one of his paintings, a large head is facing tree in the background. While the hair on the head looks like hair at first glance, further study reveals that the hair could be viewed as cloud-like forms. In yet another painting, a woman is evidently breathing fire. Upon closer examination, the fiery emanation from her mouth appears to be a white horse. Dali frequently experimented with hidden images in his paintings and other works, a feature that adds to the value of his work and leaves much of his work open to interpretation. The duality of his paintings suggest a mind that is confronted by multiple perceptions of his unique dreamscape -- the crucial element of Dali's Surrealism. Also, much of his work depicts himself and his Muse, Gala, in varying poses, which are sexually-charged and erotic.
In Dali's The Discovery of America by Christopher Columbus, the ancient mariner is depicted as an adolescent who is dragging the ship ashore, but is evidently using the mast formed by a body wrapping to gather wind at his back. Painted in 1959, this work also contains a bevy of hidden images and symbolism, including the representation of his Muse, Gala, as the Virgin Mary. Dali depicts himself in the painting as well, as a kneeling monk holding a crucifix. Dali was, doubtless, an artistic master. However, if there was one thing I did not like about his works, it would be his constant incorporation of his own likeness into many of his paintings, suggesting that Dali's ego took over the meaning of the pieces as a whole, potentially marring much of his oeuvre's quality.
These works are highly-significant, as they represent historic periods of humanity's quest for meaning in a world that is both chaotic and unpredictable. Dali himself was a master showman who, at times, was caught up in his persona. Nonetheless, his art has survived the test of time, and his name is shorthand for Surrealism.