A focus on salvador dalí by Horacio Silva

A focus on Salvador DALÍ

Horacio Silva y Alicia Hedwig

SALVADOR DALÍ B orn: 1904, M ay 11, F igueres, C atalonia, S pain D ied: 1989, January 23, F igueres, C atalonia, S pain

‘Every morning upon awakening, I experience a supreme pleasure: that of being Salvador Dalí, and I ask myself, wonderstruck, what prodigious thing will he do today, this Salvador Dalí.’ Salvador Dalí, 1953.

Salvador Dalí, one of the greatest Spanish painters of all time, and one of the most important figures in the history of Modernism. Both Dalí's extraordinary talent and odd personality helped him to rise above the rest of the Surrealists of the 20th century. Dalí expressed surrealism in everything he said and did. He was not just unconventional and dramatic; he was fantastic, shocking, and outrageous. Salvador Dalí remains one of the great artistic innovators of all time. His place at the pinnacle of modern art history is assured. His artwork and influences can be seen almost everywhere around the world. His explicit and controversial Surrealist paintings are some of the most famous, and infamous, paintings of the 1900's, and his rebellious and independent attitude towards art and politics set him aside from other painters, leaving a mark on Surrealist painting forever.

S ur re a li sts ar tis ts in P a ris wit h Da l í a t t he fi rst ro w, se c o nd on th e l e ft.

Surrealists would meet in cafes in Paris and discuss psychology and social revolution. But later, visual arts played an important role in delivering the surrealist message to the public. Salvador Dalí, being an accomplished painter with an eccentric personality and a genius for marketing himself, became a foreground figure of the surrealist movement.

Dalí showed talent for drawing and painting at a very early age, as can be seen from his Landscape near Figueras 1910 At the age of 18, he began his studies at Academia de San Fernando (School of Fine Arts) in Madrid.

He was well known among his fellow students for his eccentric behaviour and dandy like manners, but even more so for his paintings; he was very gifted. In 1926 he was expelled from the school just before his final examination, after proclaiming that none of the professors were qualified to examine him. In his work, Salvador Dalí was influenced by Raphael and Velázquez among others. Diego Velázquez inspired him to grow his famous moustache, which became his trademark.

La n d sc a p e Ne a r F ig u e ra s 1 9 10 Di m e nsi o ns: 5 .4 6 x 3 .5 1 i nc h Oi l o n c a r db o a rd M o ve m e n t: Im p re ssi o ni sm

HE WAS NAMED AFTER HIS DEAD BROTHER

No one knew how to create a personality cult quite like Dalí. Every aspect of his eccentricity was carefully cultivated, from his waxed moustache to his deliberately provocative statements. Psychoanalysts, however, have suggested that these over-compensatory measures to assert his identity could stem from the fact that nine months before his birth his elder brother, also named Salvador, had died. Dalí’s autobiography, The Secret Life of Salvador Dalí, tells of the fear he felt as a child whenever he saw the framed photo of his sibling in his parent’s room. Coincidentally, another iconic master of twentieth century art Vincent Van Gogh encountered the same situation - an older brother who died at birth and who's name he inherited. This photograph is a masterpiece of self propaganda eccentric, dramatic, iconic, an early example of an artist transforming himself into a brand. From his deliberate publicity stunts (he once delivered a lecture dressed in a wetsuit for no apparent reason), to his willingness to work commercially when he needed to (he guest-edited Vogue, advertised Ford and designed sweet wrappers for Chupa Chups), Dali was one of the first artists to cannily manipulate the media for his own publicity.

At first, during a few years, Dalí was noticeably influenced by Picasso and Miró. The cubist influence can be seen in Dalí's painting Cabaret Scene from 1922 for example. Dalí and Picasso were friends on and off for most of their lifes. They first met in 1925 when Picasso, already famous at the time, came to see Dalí´s first solo exhibition in Barcelona.

Ca b a re t S c en e 19 2 2 . Oil o n c a n v a s. Di m e nsi o ns : 2 0 .4 7 i n .× 1 6 .1 4 in . P ri va t e c o ll ec t io n o f Fr a nc o is P e tit , P a rís.

IN THE YEARS 1928 AND 1929, THREE THINGS HAPPENED IN DALÍ´S LIFE THAT PROFOUNDLY CHANGED HIM AND HIS ART.

The first was he was exposed to Sigmund Freud´s theory of the unconcious mind, as presented in his book, Interpretation of Dreams. The second was that he met and began working with a group of artists and writers in Paris, known as the ‘Surrealists’, led by the poet André Breton. And the third was… Gala, Russian by birth and nine years older than Salvador, they met on the beach at Cadaqués, Spain in 1929, where they both were vacationing. At the time they met, Gala was married to the poet Paul Eluard, but they immediately started a romantic relationship, and within a few months, they were living together. She eventually divorced Eluard and married Dali in 1934. Dali used his wife as a model for many of his Da l í a n d G al a i n Ca d a q u és . 19 2 9 paintings. Gala was a major force in encouraging Dali to establish and cultivate fis flamboyant public image.

W oma n a t the Wi nd ow .1 9 2 5 o il p a in ti n g 4 0" x 3 0" is o wn e d b y th e M u se o N ac i o na l Re i n a S of ía in Ma d ri d . Th e wo m a n is h is sist er , An a M a ria ; sh e 's lo ok i ng ou t a t th e B a y o f C a d aq u é s, wh e re D a lí u se d to sp e n d su m m e rs. Th e a rti st an d h i s si ste r we re ve ry c lo se , e sp ec i a lly a fte r th e d e a th of t he i r m o t he r. S he wa s hi s o n ly f e m a le m o d e l u nt il Ga la re p la c e d h e r in 1 9 2 9.

Surrealism, a 20th-century movement in Art and Literature between the two World Wars, starting in 1920 with its center in Paris, in which the artist attempted to portray, express, or interpret the workings of the subconscious mind; in painting it found expression in two techniques, the naturalistic (Dali) and the abstract (Miró). The very word Surreal has entered our vernacular, with a connotation that is still quite close to that intended by Dali and fellow surrealists. To them, the surreal is that which is beyond the ordinary and the conventional, that which is strange and bizarre, lying just below the surface, challenging our normal sense of the real. SIGMUND FREUD ACTUALLY DISAPPROVED SURREALISM

Dali and Freud have become emblematic for representing twentieth century psychoanalysis, dream interpretation and explorations of the unconscious. Contrary to popular belief, however, Freud never approved of the Surrealists or their work. He lamented the fact that they adopted him as a ‘patron saint’ and declared them ‘incurable nutcases’. The one exception to this rule was Th e M e ta m o rp h os is o f Na rc i ssu s 1 9 37 . Oi l o n sDi m e nsi o ns : 1 9 .8 1 in x 3 0 .5 3 i n . M u se um : Ta t e Dali. When the famous psychologist cGaa nl va le ry ( Lo n do n ) met the artist in 1938 Dali took along this image, The Metamorphosis of Narcissus (1937), and Freud agreed it would make an excellent study for psychoanalysis. DALÍ SAID: THERE IS ONLY ONE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A MADMAN AND ME. I AM NOT MAD.

In 1929 Dalí joined the surrealists, and together with Magritte he rapidly developed the visual surrealist style. From this time is Dalí's most famous painting, The Persistence of Memory, (1931) which displays a landscape containing melting watches. Liquid shapes were often used by Dalí in his paintings, as were images of elephants and other animals. Images of the egg also played an important role.

Dali's surrealistic paintings depict dream imagery and everyday objects in unexpected forms, characterized by meticulous draftsmanship and realistic detail, with brilliant colors heightened by transparent glazes.

Th e Pe rs iste n c e o f M e m or y 1 9 31 . Oi l o n c a n v a s Di m e nsi o ns : 9 .3 6 i n × 1 2 .8 7 in . Lo c a t io n M us e um o f M o d e rn Ar t, Ne w Yo rk C ity

He called his peculiar creative method Paranoic-Critical Activity. This method involves entering an altered state of conciousness, such as dreaming or meditation, and then once out of the altered state, being able to remember and reproduce images created by the subconcious mind.

Dali's striking images, such as the melting clock, the long legged elephant, and the burning giraffe, have become icons of Western culture. MUCH OF HIS ARTISTIC INSPIRATION CAME FROM ADVANCEMENTS IN SCIENCE

This painting belongs to a unique category of the iconic which, along with Munch’s Scream and Klimt’s Kiss, is more likely to be viewed as posters in teenager’s bedrooms or on ceramic mugs than on wall of a museum. Its enormous fame belies its tiny size – in reality, this painting is merely as big as two postcards. Like the best Dali images, it hovers between the sublime and the ridiculous. Many have commented on the influence of Einstein and his theory of relativity on the image of the melting clock. Is the image of a melting clock inspired by the physicist’s reconfigured understanding of the nature of time? Or is it, as Dali himself claimed, inspired by a piece of melting Camembert? Which is it? Groundbreaking scientific theory or a cheese on a picnic tray? There have been encyclopaedic attempts to explain the meaning behind this particular image. Cutting-edge scientific theory, however, was always a huge influence on Dali. Later in life he became fascinated by quantum physics and the Uncertainty Principle developed by Heisenberg, which inspired him to write a manifesto for a new genre of work called ‘nuclear mysticism’, inspired by the splitting of the atom.

S a lv a do r Da lí 1 9 5 2 Oi l o n c a n v a s 2 5 ’3 5 x 2 1 ’0 6 in c h . Lo c a t io n Da lí T h ea t re a n d M u se um , F ig u e re s, S p ai n

In 1934, at the age of 30, Salvador Dalí was expelled from the Surrealist group. They were outraged by his refusal to take a political stand against fascism and by the commercialization of Dalí's work. Dalí said to this: ‘I myself am Surrealism.’ Another citation by Dalí on this matter is: ‘The only difference between me and the surrealists is that I am a surrealist.’ And so he was. To the opening of the London Surrealist exhibition in 1936 he wore a deep sea diving suit, completed with bress helmet and lead boots. He loudly proclaimed that this costume was the source of his creative energy. Dalí was a shameless self promoter, he never missed a chance to shock his audience. This famous incident was typical of Dalí´s outlandish and eccentric behaviour. HE WAS SLIGHTLY OBSESSED WITH HITLER

Just before the outbreak of the Second World War, Dali was quoted saying “I often dreamed of Hitler as a woman” before continuing to describe his obsession with the dictator in mystical, homoerotic terms. Later, in his autobiography, The Unspeakable Confessions of Salvador Dali, he noted ‘Hitler turned me on in the highest’. The Surrealists (the Parisian artistic group with which Dali had been affiliated since 1929), had no time for such statements. Andre Breton, one of their leading members, accused Dali of glorifying Hitler, and he was promptly expelled from the group.

Th e E ni g m a o f Hit le r 19 3 9 Oi l o n c a n v a s. Di m e nsi o ns : 3 7 .0 5 in c h x 54 . 9 9 in c h .

This painting, The Enigma of Hitler, is one of three Dali images which deal with the dictator. Originally, he wanted to paint a swastika armband on the arm of the nursefigure in his painting, but was dissuaded. Psychoanalysts have suggested that his preoccupation with Hitler may stem from his lifelong fear of his domineering father. Additionally, the teardrop hanging from the branch reflects a common motif found in Dali – drooping, melting shapes in a landscape.

S a lv a do r Da lí Ye a r 1 9 44 . Oi l on ca n v a s D im e n sio n s: 2 0 in × 1 5 .9 i n M u se um : Th y sse n -Bo rn e m i sz a M us eu m , M a d rid

The complete title of this painting is Dream Caused by the Flight of a Bee around a Pomegranate a Second Before Awakening. Salvador Dalí painted it when he was living with Gala in America. This was the first time Dalí used the image of an elephant; he would return to this motive several times. It was a sculpture by Bernini that had inspired him. The erotism of this image is a recurrent topic of his work. Oftenly his paintings deal with Dalí's fear and loathing of sex.

He blamed his negative feelings toward sex as partly a result of reading his father's, extremely graphic book on venereal diseases as a young boy. Salvador Dalí accomplished a lot of things outside of painting. He participated in making films, the most famous one being The Andalusian Dog that he created together with Buñuel in 1929. He worked with Hitchcock designing the sets used in the dream sequence of Spellbound in 1946. He designed jewelery and sceneries for the theatre as well as making endeavours in the world of fashion and many other areas. Some well known examples of his work are The Lobster Telephone, Mae West Lips Sofa and the logo for Chupa Chups. He often managed to create scandals, thus contributing to the mystic aura surrounding his person.

T he An d a lu sia n D og 1 9 29 . Di re c to r: Lu i s Bu ñ u e l. Co ll ab o ra t or a n d a c to r S a lv a do r Da l í

T he M a e W e st Li p s S o fa (1 9 3 7) is a su rre a l ist so fa b y S a lv a do r Da lí . Th e wo o d -a n d- sa ti n so fa wa s sh a p e d a ft er t he li p s o f a ct re ss M a e W e st, m e a su re s 3 3 .7 3 x 7 1 .3 7 x 31 . 78 in .

S a lv a do r d a lí: L ob st e r T e le p h on e 1 9 36 M e di u m St e e l, p la ste r , ru bb e r, re si n a n d p a p e r.

S p e llb o u nd 1 9 46 . Di re c to r Alfr ed Hit c hc o c k S c e n e ry: S al v a do r d a lí

CRITICS CONSIDER EVERYTHING HE PAINTED AFTER THE AGE OF 40 TO BE WORTHLESS

Although he remains one of the most widely appreciated artists of all time, the critical consensus on the value of Dali’s work almost invariably comes down to works he created in his twenties and thirties. After that, the rest of his oeuvre has been routinely dismissed as banal kitsch. The year 1939 is the key for Dali’s career –this was when he broke from the Surrealist movement and moved from Paris to New York. Prior to that point, almost all his works are considered groundbreaking. For the fifty years following, however, the canvas’s he began to produce became repetitive, almost formulaic, and worst of all commercial.

Da l í. M y wif e , n a k e d . 19 4 5 . Oi l o n c a n v a s. 1 6 .3 8 x 1 2 .4 8 i n .

His later works reflect a chronic need to represent his wife, Gala, as a sort of demi-goddess. This 1949 work is typical – Gala is the model for a religious scene which elevates her to the status of a deity and recycles classic Christian motifs. The geometric holes cut into her body imply a transcendental status.

That it’s kitschy is undeniable. But, as any postmodernist will tell you, not all kitsch is without merit. Recently, certain critics have started to re-assess Dali’s late works, considering that his increasingly cartoonish style could in fact be considered a precursor to 1960’s pop art

M a do n n a o f P or t Lli g at 1 9 50 Oil o n c a n v as 5 6 .1 6 x 3 7 .4 4 i n .

Li v in g S ti ll Li fe 1 9 5 6 Oi l o n c a n v a s. 4 9 .6 4 in × 6 3 .7 6 in . S a lv a do r Da lí M u se um , S t. P e te rs bu rg , F lo rid a

D iscovery of A m erica D ream of C hristopher C olum bus. O il o n can v as 1 9 5 6 – 57. 159.9 x 102.96 inches.

Dalí’s influence on Art History could perhaps be deemed even greater than previously acknowledged. The fascination with the artist, it seems, just keeps growing. He continues to be comemorated today, with his biggest retrospective in over three decades in the Pompidou Centre in Paris, 2012. The show was meant to brake records – indeed, the last time the Pompidou hosted a Dalí retrospective, in 1979, it attracted such high visitor numbers that it remains unsurpassed as their most popular show of all time. Salvador Dalí once conned Yoko Ono out of $10,000 by sending her a piece of dried grass instead of a hair from his moustache... Fearing that the widow of John Lennon might use it for occult purposes, the surrealist master sent a blade of dried grass when she asked for some hair.

The Dalí Theatre and Museum in his home town Figueres houses the single largest collection of Dalí's work. He started working on the museum in 1960, and it was opened in 1974. The museum is a testament to the fantastic imagination of Salvador Dalí. In 1980 Dalí was forced to retire due to palsy, a motor disorder that caused a permanent trembling of his hands. He was not even able to hold a paintbrush, and with Gala´s death two years later in 1982, he fell into a deep depression. In 1989 died of a heart failure. In the basement of the museum lies Dalí's crypt engraved with his title Marquis of Púbol, bestowed upon him by King Juan Carlos in 1982. ‘Knowing how to look is a way of inventing’. To go further: - Dalí published his autobiography, The Secret Life of Salvador Dalí, in 1942. It was a description of his life and work thus far and it received both praise and critisism. The book contains many accounts of his high opinion of himself, as well as colorful descriptions of his odd character. - Dalí’s sister, Ana María, wrote a book called Dalí as Seen by His Sister, in 1949. Salvador and Ana María were very close, particulary after the death of their mother in 1921.

COLLECTING SALVADOR DALÍ Nowadays we are all aware of the fraudulent prints of Dalí floating around the world. It was expected that within a few years after Salvador's death in 1989 the scandals would subside and the value of his artwork increase. For those who bought his art on that premise, the market is still evolving. Many collectors have watched over the past decade as original Dali lithograph prices have steadily increased, or in the case of paintings have dramatically increased. Over the past seven years, the average price paid at auction for a late-period Dalí has risen from $108,634 to just over $1 million, according to Art Research Technologies, a New York-based consulting firm that tracks auction prices. If you are thinking about buying Dalí art be very cautious. To buy from a reputable dealer is highly recommended. Here is a list of well respected Dalí dealers: Dalí art is not a short term investment - what you pay to a 'Dalí Art Dealer' is an expense that you should expect to grow over the years. • • • • •

Dali.com- The Salvador Dali Society® in Los Angeles The Minotaur Gallery in Las Vegas Daliprintgallery.com Martin Lawrence Gallery, throughout the US Merrill Chase Gallery in Chicago

"Printemps necrophilique," a 1936 work by the Spanish master which depicts a seated male and a standing female in an eerily realistic landscape, had a presale estimate of $8 million to $12 million when it was offered at the May 2012 sale of Impressionist and Modern Art at Sotheby’s. It was last been on the market about 15 years ago.

AUCTION RESULTS

This year Dali’s reputation in the auction house has been hot and cold. While his price skyroketed in 2011, his “Oasis painting failed to sell in februaey 2012 at Sotheby’s London.

Christie’s London, Feb 9, 2011 Study for Honey is Sweeter than Blood 1926 Oil on Panel 14 7/8” by 18 1/8” Estimate $3,200,000 to $4,800,000 SOLD $ 6,570,152

Sotheby’s, London, Feb 10, 2011 Portrait of Paul Eluard 1929 Oil on Board 13” by 9 7/8”Estimate $5,600,000 to $8,000,000 SOLD -$ 21,696,000 A NEW RECORD

Bonhams, 2012 Le Cheval à la Montre Molle Bronze sculpture1980 SOLD $ 454,000