Salvador Dali – the great Spanish surrealist artist of the twentieth century, the most extravagant and shocking painter of modern times. Paintings by Salvador Dali are like a strange dream. Elephants on spider legs, imposingly flowing clocks, anthropomorphic lockers and sofa-lips – his masterpieces surprise, shock and delight. Like creatures of an alien mind.
Salvador Dali adored money and fame, was talkative. His works, of which there are more than a thousand (sometimes the master painted 5 paintings a day), seem to be the works of a mad genius. However, although the epithet “crazy” flattered the artist, he himself claimed that he was absolutely normal. Self-confidence, bordering on narcissism, was inherent in the master all his life.
Biography of Salvador Dali
Salvador Dali is a Catalan. He was born on May 11, 1904 at 8.45 am, and received the name Salvador Filipe Jacinto. His parents were wealthy people – the artist’s father worked as a notary, was known as a respected and decent person.
The mother and father named the boy Salvador, which means “savior” in Spanish. Perhaps the child was named after one of the ancestors. Salvador himself believed that he was not only named, but also called to be a savior. He proclaimed his mission, nothing less than the salvation of painting from “the mortal danger that Dadaism, abstractionism and other “isms” bring to it”
Smart, but very arrogant, spoiled and therefore practically uncontrollable, Salvador was an unusually unsympathetic child. He adored doing the opposite, seeking attention with demarches and simulations. At the same time, the future master suffered from strange phobias – for example, grasshoppers terrified him. This, of course, did not add to his popularity among his peers – they did not accept the boy in the company, mocked him. Perhaps that is why in Dali’s memoirs he coolly recalls his school years.
Training and career
The boy became interested in painting early, and already at the age of 10 he first saw the works of the Impressionists. Dali studied drawing at a city school, while taking lessons from the professor of the Academy of Arts Nunez. At 47, the artist’s mother died of cancer. Salvador Dali went to study at the School of Fine Arts, opened at the Academy of Fine Arts of San Fernando.
Due to the difficult nature and unwillingness to obey the authorities, the youth of the master is replete with turbulent events. For example, he is expelled from the Academy twice, he is imprisoned several times for political reasons. In 1928, the young but already very fashionable artist Dali arrived in the French capital, where he met outstanding surrealists. He becomes part of the André Breton association. A year later, the master met Gala (Dyakonova), the woman who became his legal wife and muse.
Death
The master lived a long and bright life, met true love, created thousands of masterpieces. He achieved everything he dreamed of. An incredible, mysterious, infinitely eccentric artist of the 20th century, became the face of the 20th century.
Salvador Dali left the earthly world on Monday morning, at 10:15 am on January 23, 1989. He died in the same Figueres hospital where he was born 84 years ago. The last whim of the Master is the desire to be buried so that people roam the grave. His body was embalmed, after which it was exhibited in a snow-white tunic and crown in the Galatea Tower of the famous Figueres Theater Museum. For two days – Wednesday and Thursday – the pilgrimage to the body of the genius continued. Then 20 thousand people managed to see it. Then the artist was buried in the center of the museum hall, surrounded by his works.
