New Styles !

My time in America has been both relieving and also inspiring. Many may say that I have just run away from my problems and that I flee from oppression. However, I have gone to these places to experience a new kind of life and also provide more creative opportunities for myself. This time of my restoration and renewal has been called my “classical” period. I also know that many of you think of me and some kind of clown, and I am fine to know that people may think of me in that kind of sense. However, I am appalled to hear that many of you think of me as greedy for money and I have been nicknamed “Avida Dollars.” I am confident to address my indicters, that it is not just to accuse of me of these farfetched allegations, and also that I did not move to the United States just to obtain money.

Anyway, back to my “classical” stage of painting! Since there has been so much chaos and turmoil that has taken place in Europe, I took the time to step out of the deranged environment to experience the birth of a fresh society, like the United States. When I came to this new land of America, I found myself of having been revived from the complacency of routine and habit. One of my paintings, Geopoliticus Child Watching the Birth of a New Man, is a prime example of my new, classical style of painting. This shows the inspiration I have obtained from the United States, and also symbolizes the change of attitude between the two continents.  

Sources:
http://www.famouspainter.com/galleries/birth_of_the_new_man.htm
http://www.famouspainter.com/dali.htm
http://www.artelino.com/articles/salvador_dali.asp

The World of Politics

I have been accused of being bizarre and a paranoid in the past, but I am here to confront another accusation that has been addressed to me by my peers. There are many of those who believe that I am a strong supporter of the youthful, irrational phenomena of the Hitler regime. Hitler, the German dictator, is definitely one of the most brilliant, most powerful leaders of our time. He wins the hearts of all the German population by appealing to each and every one of them; regardless of social rank or economic placement in society. However, regardless of his brilliance in politics, I can say that I am very indifferent when it comes to the world of politicians. I am neither condemning nor applauding this fascist regime, but I believe that surrealism can exist without being influenced by politics. I know that many of you may condemn me for this statement and you may go ahead and try me for my “crimes,” but I know that “I am Hitlerian neither in fact nor intention.” Am I not free to express my upmost honest opinion about the world around me without being constantly accused and rejected for my thoughts? Even if I am “excommunicated” from my accusers for “supporting” the Nazi regime, I do not think it is necessary for me to be part of this group, because like I have said before, “I myself am Surrealism.” Why would I need to be part of a collective assembly for my expression of art to be exposed to the public?

Sources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salvador_Dal%C3%AD#Politics_and_personality

Nuclear Science

I have heard such terrible news from Hiroshima and Nagasaki, where the Americans dropped an atomic bomb! It has devastated not only the buildings and inhabitants, but also the Japanese civilians’ morale. However, instead of being afraid, this new type of science excites me and opens up a new way of artistic expression! The fact that the nuclear bomb changes the innermost structure of things is extremely appealing to the way that the same idea can be applied to art. My interest in science has been apparent in my life for quite some time, as I’ve mentioned before with my acquaintance with Sigmund Freud, but this study of nuclear science uncovers a new step for artistic interpretation. Through all this madness and chaos in the world, I’ve painted a piece called The Three Sphinxes of Bikini, which was a result of the radiation of the island of Bikini. Although I want people to think in new, creative ways when they see my paintings, I will explain what I wanted to show through this work of mine. There are three main pieces, a human head, a tree, and a mushroom cloud, which is a result of a nuclear explosion. This shows the connection between humanity, nature, and destruction and how they are all very similar in structure and form. I believe that art and science work together in a way to communicate the same sort of idea and understanding. In the same way, I hope that the scientific mysteries can be unlocked and displayed on the canvas for all to see.

Sources:

http://www.ngv.vic.gov.au/dali/salvador/science.html#id=DaliAndScience&num=01

http://www.portfoliohalina.com/Dali/science.html

Surrealism

Some may say that I am a paranoid person, but I believe my art is just an expression of the time that I live in. A genius, very much like myself, named Albert Einstein, introduced a rather peculiar theory about reality and relativity and how time is relative and not fixed. In my work, The Persistence of Memory, there are soft, melted clocks all around which symbolize the relativity of space and time as presented in Mr. Einstein’s theory of special relativity. Also, the figure in the center is a fading creature, which is in a dream state. This shows that in dreams, one cannot know the exact shape or form of an object or figure. Many of you may think that time is rigid and definite, when it really is not! Just look at our dreams, and how time is so different and uncertain! In the same way, there are so many people in today’s society that are clinging to the old way of thinking. Now is the time where we realize that we’re in an undeterminable world. An acquaintance of mine, Sigmund Freud, is also studying the strange world of the subconscious. How interesting it is to hear about such strange epiphanies that he conceives in his mind! I believe that surrealism works hand in hand with those who are studying the subject of the subconscious/ unconscious. Surrealism is a prime example of our changing world and how it is necessary to plunge into the human mind. If anyone is interested in hearing more about this topic, I will be lecturing at the London International Surrealist Exhibition, and I guarantee it will be brilliant because, “I myself am Surrealism.”

Sources:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salvador_Dal%C3%AD#Madrid_and_Paris

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Persistence_of_Memory

Me on "What's My Line?"

(:

My Life

Hola!

My name is Salvador Dali and I was born in a prosperous family in Figueres, Espana on the morning of May 11, 1904. My parents were very good to me and supportive of my artistic aspirations. They built my first studio in our hometown, but later I attended the San Fernando Academy of Fine Arts in Madrid. People thought I was brilliant, which led to my first one-man show in Paris when I was only twenty-one years old. However, that was not the end of my success, when I teamed up with a bunch of other people, called the surrealists. They called me the “high priest of Surrealism” which was a style that showed reality beyond material objects of this world. In other words, we surrealists like to melt our models, or maybe it was just me because the people that called me their “leader” kicked me out of their surrealist group. It was okay though because I guess that didn’t stop me from continuing to exhibit my works internationally. I couldn’t deal with a lot of the things going on in Europe at the time, so I ran away to the United States to study other subjects concerning religion and science. I know, crazy right? Salvador Dali, the epitome of surrealism, studying science of all subjects? Well, it gave me nineteen more paintings that were exhibited in the National Gallery in Washington D.C.  Anyway, in the midst of all the madness and busy-ness of my life, I met the love of my life, Gala. She was a Russian immigrant and a lot older than I was. However, she was a married woman when I met her, but even though she was married, that didn’t stop her from staying with me and finally had a legal divorce with her husband. She was my lover, companion, model, and business manager. She was probably the most stable thing in my life and managed my success during my exhibitions in Europe and the United States. Sadly, after her former husband’s death, we saw less of each other, but she still supported me and I know she still loved me. After she died, I opened my own museum, called the Teatro Museum, in my hometown, at age seventy-four. I kept to myself a lot more after that, as my health was gradually failing and fading away. I died of heart failure in 1989, two years after someone attempted to burn down my house.  I lived my life not thinking about what anyone else said about my works, I just did what I wanted. You can see my life and what I experienced through my paintings and see what kind of world I lived in. The legacy my paintings may have left can be judged as terrifying or disturbing, but it was a way that I could make what everyone else believed to be irrational; tangible. Obviously, sticking with the rational style of medieval times was terribly obsolete, so why not portray a world of fantasy, dreams, and nightmares?

Sources:
Spielvogel
http://thedali.org/history/biography.html
http://www.artelino.com/articles/salvador_dali.asp