The Art History of Salvador Dali

Salvador Dali, an early 20th century Spanish artist, is associated with the Surrealist movement, though it had been founded many years before Dali became a popular artist. Surrealism was concerned with expressing the workings of the unconscious mind and its supposedly superior thought process.

Early Life/Education

Dali was born May 11, 1904 in the Pyrenees town of Figueres, Spain. He began receiving private art lessons at the age of ten. At the age of 18, Dali began studying at the School of Fine Arts in Madrid where he experimented with the Cubist and Dada styles of painting. His first public exhibition occurred in 1919 at the Municipal Theater in Figueres. It was around this time he began a passionate friendship with the poet Frederico Garcia Lorca. In 1926, Dali was expelled from the School of Fine Arts.
He traveled to Paris and met Picasso through Joan Miro, an artist and mutual friend.

Introduction to Surrealism

In 1929, Dali joined a Surrealist group of artists living in Montparnasse. The Surrealists appreciated Dali's ability to tap into his unconscious mind to create his art. Dali's 1931 painting, "Persistence of Memory," is one of the most well-known Surrealist pieces. In August of that year, Dali met Gala, a Russian immigrant who would be his future-wife.

Politics

With the onset of World War II, artists worldwide became increasingly political. Dali and Gala were now comfortably living in the United States, and they were not politically active. Artists like Andre Breton reviled Dali for his seeming apathy. Spending his later years in Catatonia--ruled by Franco at the time--further riled the more radical groups of artists. As such, his popularity waned in his later years.

Themes/Symbols in Dali's Art

Dali was extremely interested in Freudian psychology and often used its symbols in his paintings--including representations of the phallus, the Oedipus Complex and the myth of Narcissus. Rhinoceros horns are symbols of chastity. Ants represent death. His limpid watches represent the power of time and the desire to transgress that power. Dali also used Christian religious symbols.

Works in Other Mediums

In addition to his paintings, Dali produced two films, "An Andalusion Dog" in 1928 and "The Golden Age" in 1930. Both are considered iconic works of Surrealist cinema. He worked with Alfred Hitchcock on the film "Spellbound." In 1942, he published "The Secret Life of Salvador Dali," an autobiography. Dali also collaborated with many famous photographers and designers.

Resources

• The Salvador Dali Museum