Michael Severe
CDMG 1111
May 19, 2017
Research Paper #2
Salvador Dali is one of the most influential Surrealist artists of the 19th century. He is best known for his painting of melting clocks titled “The Persistence of Memory” which he painted in 1931 and is also one of his most recognizable works. Dali was born May 11, 1904 in Figueres, Spain. Dali attended the “Academia de San Fernando” in Madrid. In 1919 Dali had his very first public exhibit located at the Municipal Theatre of Figueres. Dali was influenced by various art styles which included Cubism, as well as metaphysics which shaped his artworks from an early age.
Dali also studied and explored various art movements. While he explored many classical painters, such as Bronzino, and Diego Velaquez. He was also influenced by an art movement called “Dada”, a post-World War movement, this particular movement influenced his style and work throughout his career. Dali’s paintings were incorporated with three main themes which were ideographic imagery, sexual symbolism, as well as the universe and sensations of man. Dali studied and worked with styles like Cubism (which he had already developed a fondness for), Futurism and impressionism. In 1929 Dali worked with oil based paintings which were influenced by renaissance artists. Dali incorporated an immense amount of symbolism is his artworks, which included ants which symbolized death and decay, elephants with weak legs which symbolized a weightlessness as well as his the infamous clocks Dali’s had incorporated into his artwork which may have symbolized perception of time and space outside of human comprehension.
Through Dali’s illustrious lifetime of artworks he created many iconic pieces that will never go forgotten. Some of his most famous works included, “Soft construction with boiled beans” painted in 1936, “The Great Mastubator” painted in 1929, “Galatea of the Spheres” painted in 1952, “Dream Caused by the Flight of a Bee Around a Pomegranate a Second before Awakening” painted in 1944 and lastly one of his most iconic, most recognizable artworks, “The Persistence of Memory” painted in 1931”.
Dali has a museum dedicated to his work called the “Salvador Dali Museum” located in St.Petersburg, Florida. A building known as “The Teatro-Museo Dali’ was constructed in 1974. The building is a surrealist structure that was designed and constructed based on Salvador Dali’s designs. Inside the intricate structure contains various paintings that Dali finished from various points in his life. His imagination was boundless and his paintings reflected that. His work and contributions to the art world will never be forgotten or die in vain, he paved the way for many souls and his work will continue to do so posthumously. He’s inspired many artists including myself by teaching us that art is limitless and there are innumerable ways to express your craft.
Work Cited
https://learnodo-newtonic.com/salvador-dali-famous-paintings
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Persistence_of_Memory
http://www.biography.com/people/salvador-dal-40389
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salvador_Dal%C3%AD
