The One & Only
Most people believe that ‘‘artists make real money until they are gone’’ but that was not the case for Salvador Dalí, a leader of the surrealist movement (a surrealist painter), a multimedia superstar and a multimillionaire during his time. We are talking numbers so we are all clear, and the best part is, Dalí always knew his worth!
(1) Salvador Dali
Spanish (b.1904, d. 1989)
Salvador Dali, the man of many talents, was originally known for his work in the surrealist movement, and his psychotic-yet-genius mind of the way the world he was so sure revolved around him worked out.
The famous artist started painting when he was only SIX years old! ... as the other six year old's played outside he was too busy painting pieces like ''The landscape near Figures''
Landscape Near Figures by Salvador Dali
Ahhh simpler times…. As compared to his iconic paintings, you would never think this artist ever had a simple side.
The Process
Before I talk about Dali's most iconic surrealist artwork, It's interesting to mention his process because there are even accusations of him using psychedelic drugs while on the making! (during this research I may have thought it once or twice as well). Surprisingly, it is said that Salvador Dali did not use any substance while creating his masterpieces for many years… not even a drop of alcohol! He even quoted, “I don’t do drugs, I am drugs". -Okayyy!
He did although use a method called the “Paranoiac Critical Method” to help him access his subconscious, and be semi lucid. He would do this by standing on his head until almost passing out and writing down the surreal images he would see in the process of almost fainting., this philosophy of art making, was defined once by Dalí as “irrational understanding based on the interpretive-critical association of delirious phenomena.”
His method gave birth to “The Persistence Of Memory”… and well who’s not to say some memory was lost with his crazy methods.
2. "Persistence Of Memory” by Salvador Dali
In addition to meticulously painting fantastic compositions, such as The Accommodations of Desire (1929) , and The Persistence of Memory (1931)., Dalí was a prolific writer and early filmmaker, and cultivated an eccentric public persona with his flamboyant mustache, pet ocelot, and outlandish behavior and quips.
“Each morning when I awake, I experience again a supreme pleasure,” he once said. “That of being Salvador Dalí.”
Artistic Repertoire
Dali collaborated with a range of artists in a variety of media! Other than painting, Dali had many other rather fascinating talents such as, creating fabric clothing and accessory designs. He created pieces for fashion designer Elsa Schiaparelli- The greatest rival of Coco Chanel.
In 1950 , Dali also worked with Christian Dior to create a special "costume for the year 2045". His Expansive repertoire also includes film, sculpture, contributions to the interior design field and photography.
Dalí associated himself with the finest weavers in France, commissioned by Kings and Queens, to illustrate rare works such as ''Piano Under The Snow''
Available works and extended collection., for more information please contact Valeria Llamosa, Fine Art Professional at Off The Wall Gallery - Click Here
Con Artist At His Finest
Salvador Dali was a bit of a handful, but a sneaky one… it is said that the artist would frequently invite large groups of friends for lunch at the most luxurious restaurants but when it was time to pay, the artist waited till the waiter/waitress was not looking to casually doodle on the back of the check, knowing nobody in their right mind would ever cash a check with an original sketch by the one and only Salvador Dali... and yes, he would get away with not paying the bill. I mean who wouldn’t do something as petty for a free meal?
And talk about petty! Salvador’s biggest feature was his mustache, the 25-centimeter stash brought in lots of ca$h and attention! So much that multimedia Artist Yoko Ono, requested a strand of his mustache hairs for $10,000 DOLLARS! (How much would you get for yours?) When she coughed up the cash, Dali sent her a strand of dried up grass instead, worried that she might use the hair for witchcraft... and I would’ve too!
Weird Obsession
Salvador Dali was off in so many ways but who would have guessed what got him “off" was Hitler, the Nazi himself. He began to paint Hitler, and as his obsession grew he quoted “I often dreamed about Hitler as other men dreamed about women”.
Dali went on to say “He turned me on in the highest ways” … and the obsession grew so big, one of his later paintings was simply called “Hitler Masturbating” - and there’s nothing surreal about the name, it shows exactly that.
Growing Up
Growing up Dali had many emotional traumas, aside from his verbally abusive father and his mother dying when he was only 16 years old; it is known his parents made him believe he was the reincarnation of his older brother, also named Salvador, who died just 9 months before the artists birth. He later painted “Portrait Of My Dead Brother”.
For authentic works by Salvador Dalí please contact Valeria Llamosa, Fine Art Professional at Off The Wall Gallery.- Click Here
Blog Author: Rebeka Valdovinos
Blog Editor: Valeria Llamosa
Summary taken from Wikipedia on Salvador Dali research.
Bibliography:
Gibson, Ian, The Shameful Life of Salvador Dali (1997)
Dalí Rotterdam Museum Boijmans. Paris Contemporary Designs. Retrieved on 8 August 2006
References:
1) "Salvador Dali" Salvador Dali | Kristine | Flickr By:Kristine Kristine | Flickr (CC BY-NC 2.0) Creative Commons — Attribution-NonCommercial 2.0 Generic — CC BY-NC 2.0
2) "The Persistence of Memory (1931) by Salvador Dali" The Persistence of Memory (1931) by Salvador DPainting… | Flickr By: Mike Steele Mike Steele | Flickr (CC BY 2.0) Creative Commons — Attribution 2.0 Generic — CC BY 2.0