Salvador Dali

Salvador Dali (1904-1989), Spanish, Surrealist.
Irreverent and ostentatious, Dali played an important role in the arts in the middle of the 20th Century.
Born in Catalonia, Spain, Dali started studying art formally in 1916, eventually moving to Madrid in 1922 to study at the Academia de San Fernando.
Thrown out of art school in 1926 for arrogantly claiming superiority over the instructors, Dali set his own course.
On a visit to Paris in 1926, Dali met Picasso, already a strong influence.
While Dali is often criticized for being a better public persona than he was an artist, his technical skills were incredible.
The basis for his fame, and likely his arrogance, was talent.
He created his work from a vast storehouse of influences and seemed to synthesize the great artists of the Renaissance with the modern movements of Cubism and Dada.
Raphael, Vermeer and Velazquez were all classic influences; Velazquez seems to have inspired the hallmark moustache that Dali wore for most of his career.
The broad popularity of many of Dali’s great works, and his tendency toward self-aggrandizement, may serve to undercut his reputation as a great artist.
Dali painted The Persistence of Memory in 1931 and in so doing created one of the great works of the 20th Century and established Surrealism as not just a movement for artists but also for the public.
One element in Persistence was the soft or melting pocket watches that would recur in some of the artist’s later works.
Dali’s use of truly unique imagery and elements sure to promote controversy kept him in the public’s eye throughout his entire career, just the way he liked it.
Melting Watch Framed Art Print by Salvador Dali
Melting Watch
by Salvador Dali Custom Frame It
Melting Watch Framed Art Print by Salvador Dali
The Persistence of Memory 1931 Framed Art Print by Salvador Dali
The Persistence of Memory 1931
by Salvador Dali Custom Frame It
The Persistence of Memory 1931 Framed Art Print by Salvador Dali
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