Salvador Dali was born on May 11, 1904. He was a leader in
the new movement of art in the early 20th century called
Surrealism. In 1921 Dali studied at the San Fernando Acadamy of
Fine Arts in Madrid. Here he was able to associate and learn from
such Spanish modernists as Fedrico Garcia Lorca, and Luis Bundel.
He also was influenced by Italian futurists and the metaphysical
paintings of Giorgio de Chirico. In his early works, however,
Dali gave credit to his own Catalan sense of fantasy and his
megalomania as being his true motivating forces. Dali left the
San Fernando Acadamy of Fine Arts in 1926, and move to Paris
where he frequented the Cafe Cyrano, which was the OheadquartersO
of t the Parisan surrealists. In 1929 Cafe Cyrano featured an
exhibit of Dali’s own surrealist paintings. Dali was also
fascinated with the writings of psychologist Sigmund Freud. He
was so moved by Frued’s theory that he subsequently vowed to his
life’s ambition to “systemize confusion”.
Dali is best known for his surrealist works. Surrealism is
an art style in which imagery is based on fantasy and the world
of dreams. It is thought have grown out of the French literary
movement in the 1920’s and has it’s roots in Dadaism. These
painters developed a dreamlike, or hallucinatory, imagery that
was all the more startling for its highly realistic rendering.
Some of Dali’s better known paintings are: “Persistence Of
Memory” also know popularly as “Soft Watches” (1931), and “The
Sacrament Of The Last Supper” (1955). These Paintings have become
part of the definitive record of 20th Century art. Dali used many
mediums to illustrate his inspirations. His most popular of
course are his paintings, but he also used such media as jewelry,
advertisements, beer-bottle designs, ballet sets, and costumes.
Dali also experimented his talents in film as well. In 1928 he
and childhood mentor Luis Bundel produced the famous surrealist
film OUn Chein AndalouO (An Andalusian Dog). He and Bundel teamed
up once again in 1931 for “L’Age d’or” (The Age Of Gold). Dali
was easily recognized all over the world. He was know for
eccentric yet styleish apparel always accompanied by a flowing
cape, and a handlebar mustache, and popping eyes. Salvador Dali
lead a long life in which he influenced people everywhere he
went. In 1989 Dali died at age 86, a tremendous loss for the art
community.
