Salvador Dali was a Spanish artist who was a leading figure of the Surrealism art movement and one of the most famous artists of the 20th century. He was also one of the most colorful personalities of the period known for his eccentricities and exhibitionist acts. Dali’s life, starting from his childhood and till his death, is full of interesting incidents. Though he experimented with several art styles, Dali is most renowned as a Surrealist artist who created many of the best known paintings of the movement including The Persistence of Memory, Metamorphosis of Narcissus and Soft Construction with Boiled Beans. Know all about Salvador Dali including his biography, interesting facts about him, his most famous paintings, analysis of his art style and his quotes.

 

BIOGRAPHY

Salvador Dali showed signs of his artistic talent from an early age but at the same time he developed into an eccentric and self-centered individual. He had a close relationship with his mother and her death when he was 16 was a severe blow to him. Dali was formally educated in art at the San Fernando Academy of Art in Madrid. However, he didn’t think much of his teachers and was expelled from the academy before he could graduate. Dali had a long and close relationship with Gala, who was his wife and his most important muse; as well as his greatest passion and his business manager. Known as much for his genius as for his bizarre behavior and exhibitionist tendencies, Salvador Dali was one of the most colorful personalities of the 20th century. Know more about his family, life, marriage, career and death through his biography.

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INTERESTING FACTS

Dali’s life, starting from his childhood and till his death, is full of interesting incidents. In his childhood, he threw a friend from a bridge; in his youth he was expelled from the San Fernando Academy of Art; and in his years of fame, his exhibitionist tendencies reached their peak and his love for money made him do odd things. Dali also had an unconventional relationship with his wife Gala during which she had multiple extra-marital affairs with his permission. Here are 10 interesting facts about Salvador Dali, the most renowned Surrealist artist and one of the most interesting figures of the 20th century art world.

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FAMOUS PAINTINGS

Surrealism was an influential 20th century movement, primarily in art and literature. Surrealist artists rejected the rational in art; and instead aimed to channel the unconscious to unlock the power of imagination. Salvador Dali was the leading artist of the Surrealism movement. He also used extensive symbolism in his work. Recurring images in his paintings include elephants with brittle legs which evoke weightlessness; ants, thought to be his symbol for decay and death; and melting watches, perhaps symbolic of non-linear human perception of time. Dali’s contributions to Surrealism include the paranoiac-critical method. Though he was expelled from the movement due to clashes with its members, Dali became the most influential Surrealist artist; and perhaps the most renowned twentieth century painter after Pablo Picasso. Here are the 10 most famous paintings of Salvador Dali including The Persistence of Memory, Galatea of the Spheres and The Great Masturbator.

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ART STYLE

Though he experimented with several art styles, Dali is most renowned as a Surrealist artist who created many of the best known paintings of the movement. A major influence on Dali’s work were the theories of famous Austrian psychoanalyst Sigmund Freud. His Surrealist paintings were full of imagery that drew from Freudian symbolism, as well as his own subconscious. Among the most important contributions that Dali made to the Surrealism movement was the paranoiac-critical method, in which he attempted to tap into his subconscious through systematic irrational thought and a self-induced paranoid state. Though Dali continued to work late into his career, critics believe that he was past his prime with recurring motifs appearing through his work. Let’s delve deeper into the art of Salvador Dali by studying his art style.

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BEST QUOTATIONS

1 “Each morning when I awake, I experience again a supreme pleasure – that of being Salvador Dali.”

2 “There is only one difference between a madman and me. The madman thinks he is sane. I know I am mad.”

3 “A true artist is not one who is inspired, but one who inspires others.”

4 “Have no fear of perfection – you’ll never reach it.”

5 “Surrealism is destructive, but it destroys only what it considers to be shackles limiting our vision.”

6 “At the age of six I wanted to be a cook. At seven I wanted to be Napoleon. And my ambition has been growing steadily ever since.”

7 “Mistakes are almost always of a sacred nature. Never try to correct them. On the contrary: rationalize them, understand them thoroughly. After that, it will be possible for you to sublimate them.”

8 “Those who do not want to imitate anything, produce nothing.”

9 “Intelligence without ambition is a bird without wings.”

10 “I don’t do drugs. I am drugs.”