Salvador Dali – a man worth remembering
Salvador Dali – a man worth remembering
On one sunny mayday in a little town in Catalonia, a man was born who would eventually change the direction of art and reinvent the nature of “enfant terrible”. Salvador Domingo Felipe Jacinto Dalí i Domènech, Marqués de Dalí y de Púbol was the first child after the deceased older brother; this is probably why his parents had high hopes for him. This is probably why he behaved the way he did. As a child, young Salvador was arrogant, uncontrollable and difficult, but at the same time had makings of an unusual man. His tantrums in public, constants whims and longing for attention did not go away – Salvador Dali simply managed to turn it into a life-long performance.
In childhood these qualities, of course, obstructed his friendships with other kids. He was referred to as a “black sheep” and children were often cruel in their jokes towards the future master. He never made real friends. He thought he did not need to. He remained a “black sheep” but it became a compliment. He turned his weaknesses into PR.
Returning to his adolescence, painting was that only thing that built a bridge between the genius and the environment. His initial training took place in the ordinary art school in Figueres, followed by the Academy in his hometown, where he stayed for four years, followed by the Academy of San Fernando, where the applicant showed his unusual character during admission. Dali’s opening drawing was not made in accordance with the requirements of the Commission; however, he was given a second chance to fix it. Instead, he went even further away from the requirements and still was accepted for his outstanding aptitudes. This is where he understood that he would be excused for his talent no matter what he did. In some way, this has awaken the “enfant terrible” in him.
Soon his mother passed away and it was a big shock for the young man. His world tumbled but he had a clear vision of his future and had no intentions of stepping aside.
For his studies in the Academy of San Fernando, Dali had to move to Madrid. Of course, the capital gave many opportunities for development; Dali is interested in the works of Freud, meets G.Lorka and L.Bunuel, and experiments with new directions in painting. Interesting, that despite his life full of travels, Dali remained faithful to his hometown. Its sceneries are present in many of Dali early works and are also guessed as landscapes in his more mature works. Later in life, Dali built a house-museum in Figueres, where he willed to be buried.
Despite his genius, but thanks to his snobbery and arrogance, Salvador Dali gets expelled from the Academy. This was a turning point in his life; he leaves everything and travels to Paris. In the French capital, he soon becomes acquainted with several people who played an important role in the life of the artist. They are Picasso and the wife of Paul Eluard – Gala. Subsequently the woman who would become Dali’s wife, muse and source of trouble
This woman was present directly or indirectly in practically all Dali’s works. Her influence was indescribable. She became his mother, sister, mentor, lover and friend – something he was not quite familiar with. She accepted him wholly. Even when in 1965, when he met a young beautiful singer Amanda Lear, who became his life partner for the next eight years, Gala never interfered. Perhaps because their relationship was purely platonic or maybe because she loved everything about him, with all his perfect imperfections. In 1937 they got married without any official formalities and remained together until Gala’s death.
Salvador’s creative life is given a full swing and in 1929, he gains popularity and begins working with the surrealists. At the same time his relationship with father disintegrates which leads to a compete cessation of any communication.
After Franco’s coming to power a gap between him and the surrealists gets bigger and bigger. His fellow artist took the “left” side and Dali was indifferent to politics. He always thought he was a lever above all that governmental fuss.
In 1937, he begins a trip to Italy. Renaissance moved him and left a mark on his works. Right after the beginning of the second world war Dali and his wife departure to the United States and settle there for 8 years. Dali begins a literary activity, which is becoming commercially successful. However, he was able to monetize his artistic talent as well. Several times, he starred in commercials. In America the artist earned money by mastering profession of the jeweler, illustrator, decorator, sales representative and even a ballet director.
After his return in 1948 from the United States to Spain, the artist continues to create and to shock; makes movies, gets involved with photography, animation, decoration. There was hardly a sphere where Dali was not successful. In this regard, he was similar to Kind Midas, for everything he touched turned to gold.
In 1981, Dali gets Parkinson’s disease and a year later the love of his life – Gala, passes away. These events are reflected in his works – paintings of that period are filled with depression, tremor and overall interrupt his drawing. His very late works remind children’s doodling with dark tones and haunting sceneries.
His last years were marred by a disease, and aggravated by the negative character traits. On 23 January 1989, Salvador Dali died of acute heart failure. He found his eternal peace in his house-museum in Figueres.
I was raised to believe that my generation was a creative one. I think that most of the great ideas have already been presented. In many ways by Salvador Dali. His works are novels put on canvas. They tell whole stories and make you think about them. It is not realistic paintings whose beauty you cannot help but notice. It is insane landscapes filled with sci-fi object that eventually make sense. Dali’s paintings are like revelations. They make you reflect upon them. He could have been the most arrogant, intolerable man but that was simply a role he knew how to play since he was a young boy. Dali was a man of great mind. His fascination with science gave birth to some of his most renowned and meaningful works, such as: “Metamorphosis of Narcissus”, “Invisible Sleeping Woman Horse Lion”, “Hypercubic Christ or Crucifixion”. Influenced by Einstein, Sigmund Freud, Ramon Lull and other men of science. His “Persistence of Memory” is an affirmation that he was not only an artist but also a philosopher.
Some years ago, I was told that Salvador Dali invented the “Chupa-Chups” wrap design. It is funny, how he managed to enter so many spheres of our lives. In so many senses he immortalized himself and not even only through his main occupation. Every time I eat it since then, I wonder, does every wrap count as a reproduction.
Bibliography
The Editors of Encyclopedia Britannica. “Salvador Dali. Spanish artist”. Encyclopedia
Britanica. Last updated 14 March 2016. Accessed 26 April 2016
Ruiz, Carme. “Salvador Dalí And Science. Beyond a Mere Curiosity.”Www.Salvador-
Dali.Org. Last modified 2010. Accessed April 26, 2016.
Eaude, Michael. "Obituary: Enric Bernat." The Guardian. 2004. Accessed 26 April 2016
"Salvador Dalí's Catalonia - A Guide to the Artist's Favourite Places." The Totally Spain
Travel Blog. 2013. Accessed April 26, 2016
Cevasco, George A. 1956. “Dali's Christianized Surrealism”. Studies: An Irish Quarterly
Review 45 (180). Irish Province of the Society of Jesus: 437–42. Accessed April 25
2016.
Firestone, Evan R.. 2006. “Rothko and Dali: an overlooked connection”. Source: Notes in the
History of Art 25 (2). [Ars Brevis Foundation Inc., University of Chicago Press]: 39–
46. Accesses April 27 2016.
