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Surrealist Artist Research: Salvador Dalí
Important Dates in His Life
- May 11, 1904: Salvador Dalí is born in Figueres, Catalonia, Spain.
- 1922: Dalí moves to Madrid to study at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts of San Fernando.
- 1929: Dalí collaborates with surrealist poet and writer André Breton and officially joins the Surrealist movement.
- 1931: Dalí's famous painting "The Persistence of Memory" is completed, featuring melting clocks.
- 1940s: Dalí and his wife, Gala, move to the United States to escape World War II.
- 1989: Salvador Dalí dies of heart failure at the age of 84 in Figueres, Spain.
Art Forms He Created
- Painting: Dalí is renowned for his surrealist paintings, characterized by dreamlike imagery, meticulous detail, and bizarre juxtapositions.
- Sculpture: Dalí also experimented with sculpture, creating surreal and often provocative three-dimensional works.
- Drawing and Illustration: He produced numerous drawings and illustrations, showcasing his exceptional draftsmanship and imagination.
- Film: Dalí collaborated with filmmakers, most notably on the short film "Un Chien Andalou" with director Luis Buñuel, which is considered a surrealist masterpiece.
His Most Famous Works
- "The Persistence of Memory" (1931): This iconic painting features melting clocks draped over various objects against a barren landscape.
- "The Elephants" (1948): Dalí's depiction of elongated elephants with spindly legs, carrying obelisks on their backs, is a surreal exploration of space and form.
- "Swans Reflecting Elephants" (1937): Another masterpiece showcasing Dalí's fascination with distorted reality, where swans on a lake morph into elephants when reflected.
- "The Metamorphosis of Narcissus" (1937): This painting illustrates the myth of Narcissus, with a double image of a hand holding an egg transforming into a flower.