Salvador Dali and the Surrealist movement

Salvador dekalitrei and the Surrealist motionSalvador Dali is perhaps wizard of the approximately recognised artists of the Surrealist movement. His art is mass produced in prints, and it is non a r ar matter to see them in homes of adults and on the wall(a)s of college students. His closely famous work, The continuity of entrepot (1934), is taught in art classes to children as preteen as 7. Most of these spate feel a connection with Dalis work and feel compel guide to display these posters. It is base hit to say, however, that few of these fans know anything about Surrealism, and the inspiration behind his most pricy plant manners.The Surrealist movement acquired from the pascal movement of the 1920s. Its loss leader, Tristan Tzara, aimed to eliminate art because society developd war and at that placefore does not deserve art. He instead aimed to shock the unexclusive through works of anti-art, which did not shock the public as intended, scarce was accepted by the art society.Dada embraced nihilism, a philosophy hold in-to doe with around zero, meaning nothing, or anything. Dada rejected reason and logic while hating living. In William Bohns article From Surrealism to Surrealism Apollinaire and Breton he put ins that Dada Was really a protest movement, protesting bourgeoisie values in art and life(Surrealism, 198). Instead, Dada actually bridged art in life by displaying objects that allowed the viewer to realize that life is in fact art.In order to bridge life and art, Dada artists applied humor to art which provided a playfulness not reached by realism. Dadas aim was to juggle away, to parody, and to ridicule all accepted ideas, all forms of cordial activity (Surrealism, 199). Dada seems to have been a contradictory movement, one that produced wildly creative pieces, while discrediting creativity in theory. The constant contradictions of the movement could be why followers so readily embraced Surrealism, a movement which seeme d to farm more sense, neverthe little provided a smooth transition for flush the most devoted Dadaists, such as Tristan Tzara, the movements leader.Surrealism, as defined by Anton Breton is vestal psychic automatism by which we propose to express either verbally or in writing or in some otherwise manner- the real functioning of thought, in the absence of all control, excerased by reason, outside all aesthetic and moral preoccupations(The Surrealist opusifesto, Surrealism, 205). His definition of Surrealism as a philosophy is as follows, Surrealism is based on the belief in the superior reality of reliable forms of previously neglected associations, in the omnipotence of dream, in the disinte reliefed play of thought. It tends to blast once and for all other psychic mechanisms and to substitute itself for them in resolving power all the principal problems of life (The Surrealist Manifesto, Surrealism, 205).Anton Breton was the founding breed of Surrealism. He introduced s amples of his writings which were called automatic writing. This automatic writing is also kn throw as free people association writing in which the author begins to write whatever comes to promontory in hopes of unlocking the unconscious mind. The point of unlocking the unconscious was to reveal truth in the art form. This form of Automatism was a underlying application in unrealistic art, be it visual or literary. Surrealism, therefore, was not restricted to visual art, notwithstanding was also a popular movement among authors of the period.Surrealists were greatly influenced by the works of Freud, whose radical theories in psychoanalysis and the importance of the subconscious in regards to not only mental health, but to truth and life, would inspire artists and authors to unlock their own subconscious. Surrealists incorporated Freuds theory into their art work through the belief that dreams ar as important, if not more so thanreality. Therefore features of Surrealist art ac commodate dream like images. Surrealism aimed to draw the eye to one object and then to distract it with some other object. Surrealism called for a deliberate disorientation of the mind (Frey, 15). In doing so, the artists was able to create a dreamlike experience for the viewer. To the Surrealist, beauty was not the goal because beauty, while aesthetically pleasing, does not necessarily represent truth.As the movement gained momentum several visual artists and authors began to identify themselves as Surrealists. They embraced the the philosophy of Surrealism and applied to their respective art. Some of the most well known artists that coupled the movement include Paul and Gala Eluard, Pierre Naville, Max Ernst, Man Ray, Marcel Duchamp, and Yves Tanguy. Picasso is sometimes considered a follower of the movement, but overall his intricacy was minimal. Perhaps the most recognizable name aligned with the Surrealist movement is Salvador Dali.Salvador Dali was innate(p) in 1904 in Fig ueres, which borders Catalonia, Spain. By the age of 12 he showed oftentimes promise as an artist. He accompanied drawing school at this age and fell in love with art. In 1922 he attended the Academy of Fine Arts, Madrid. As a youth at the academy he proclaimed himself an anarchist and was privy to rebellious activities. The many shenanigans he pulled were evidence to his desire for attention and his quest for fame. Such rebellion at long last got him kicked out of the academy.In response to his expulsion he continued his graphics, dabbling in Cubism and Purism. He eventually met Pablo Picasso, whose work he highly respected. Finally, he met Anton Breton, the leader of the Surrealist movement. He felt a draw to the philosophy of this movement and pronto joined forces with the other members of the movement.Dali used a method in his artistry called paranoiac faultfinding method. He developed this method in 1929, the uniform year that he officially proclaimed himself a Surreali st. The paranoiac critical method was a self hypnosis which would allow him to hallucinate freely. Under this proffer he would create art that involved double images. These double images acted as an optical illusion. The viewer immediately would see one object, but devoted further review would notice a hidden image wrong of the main object. Often, the hidden image would be erotic or create a feeling of discomfort for the audience. These images were also dreamlike, not only created in the subconscious of the painter, but unlocking the subconscious of the audience. About these double images Dali said, Such a representation of an object that is also, without the slightest physical or annuclearal change, the representation of another entirely different object, the second representation being equally free of any deformation or abnormally betraying the arrangement (Stinking Ass).Upon joining this Surrealists he met Gala Eluard who was ten old age his senior. She is heralded as the mus e of the Surrealist movement as she not only inspired Dali, but many other artists and authors of the movement. At the time of their meeting she was hook up with to surrealist poet and friend of Dalis Paul Eluard. He immediately fell in love with her, and her love was reciprocated. Her husband Paul, Eluard, surprisingly did not object, he was intrigued by the intricacies of relationships, and therefore not too equipment casualty by her choice to be with Dali. They moved in together and she became his muse,they married in 1934. She seized power over his career and aided in trade not only his artwork but his persona. Without her, he may not have gained the notoriety that he had so craved since a young age.In 1931 Salvador Dali painted perhaps his most famous and recognizable piece, Persistence of Memory (1931). Regardless of his success, by the end of the 1930s the Surrealists were no hourlong champions of Dali or his artwork. He refused to take sides during the Spanish civil Wa r, which cost him life long friends. Anton Breton, who had once revered Dalis work, assigned him the derogatory nickname Avida Dollars which convey eager for money. His greed, and hesitance in aligning with the Marxist revolution severed many ties between him and his colleagues.At the beginning of World War II Gala, and Salvador Dali moved to California, upon reflection of his Surrealist days he said this, Surrealism will at least have served to give experimental proof that total infertility and attempts at automatizations have gone too far and have led to a totalitarian system. Todays laziness and the total lack of technique have reached their paroxysm in the psychological signification of the current use of the college. Dali was nothing if not a master artist, and he displayed discontent for the current state of art. After 1949 he and his wife moved back to Catalonia where they would live the rest of their lives. Gala passed in 1982, with Salvador following in 1989.As previously stated, Dalis most recognizable and celebrate work is the Persistence of Memory painted in 1931. The mountainvas of this photo is quite small, measuring 24.1 cm X 33 cm, and it is currently housed in the Museum of Modern Art in New York, where it has hung since 1936. It has lead soft watches that are placed on the grace of larboard Lligat. Port Lligat is a small village on the Mediterranean coast of Spain, in which Dali spent much of his life. He also included in this landscape and in many of his other works. The enormous cliffs in the background are evidence that it is in fact the cliffs of Port Lligat. The former curator of MOMA, pack Thrall Soby, says of the motion-picture show the billet is manipulated to suggest and infinity against which the drama of his objects and figures is intercommunicate (Clocking, 3).The telltale cliffs of Port Lligat constitute only a small dowery of the painting. The majority of the space is dominated by the giant melting time. adept clock is closed, and the other three are draped over a peter in the center, go, and an olive tree. The eyes are first worn-out to these clocks, and according to an analysis on salvadordalimuseum.org, the clocks clearly represent time, but create a dreamlike effect by bending the rules of reality, which is imageistic of Surrealism. Simon Wilson says of this painting, The theme of this truly bizarre and mysterious painting is mans obsession with the genius of time ( Clocking, 4). Dali, himself, remarked that Soft watches are nothing else than the tender, extravagant and solitary paranoiac-critical Camembert of space and time (Clocking, 12). The reference of Camembert may seem offhandedly strange, however this is a reference to the cheese that actually inspired the soft watches on the eventide that he painted this picture.Although the main draw to the painting is the melting watches, there are other important symbols in the painting. The ants on the closed watches, the olive tree, the steps and the amorphous creature each have a surplus memory which contribute to the aesthetics of this painting.Upon further examination the creature in the center of the painting has eyelashes and a closed eye. The creature appears to be sleeping. This creature is actually a self portrait of Salvador Dali. It is a form that he has used in other paintings to represent himself. Upon further review, the viewer can make out the profile with a nose, and mouth.The next symbol in the painting is the olive tree in the upper leftfield comer. The olive tree was a significant symbol for Dali. Olive trees typify peace, and olives were a major export of Catalonia. Later in life he even refereed to his wife Gala as his little olive. In this particular painting Dali has presented a dead olive tree. This dead tree may symbolize the inevitable death that time will bring. Death and decay is a common theme in this painting as Dali uses ants and flies to intend decay. The Ants are on the closed w atch in the bottom left of the painting.The final symbols to discuss in this painting are the steps. There is one step, prominent in the foreground on the left side. In the distance, along the horizon there is another step, on the edge of the water. These steps could mayhap represent the Freudian explanation of steps and the act of going up and down them. Freud explains that steps in dreams represent sexual acts. It is unclear whether or not this what Dali intended to present, symbolically speaking, the use of steps is unclear.Twenty years after painting Persistence of Memory, Dali presented a new painting called decline of the Persistence of Memory (1952). During the period between these two paintings Dalis life had greatly changed. He and Gala moved to the United States to flee the Spanish Civil War. While in California he worked with Disney and Alfred Hitchcock as a consultant for various films. His artwork was transformed after World War II. The scientific strides that had bee n made regarding the discovery of DNA and the advent of the atomic bomb influenced Dalis style.In 1948 Dali and Gala sought to move back to Spain. The new government was staunchly Roman Catholic and Dali had to prove that he had changed his ways and was now a pious Catholic. Ultimately he would call himself a nuclear mystisist. atomic mysticisms mixture of physics, math, science, religion, art history, and Spanish culture was to stress technique, rebirth, faithand tradition (Clocking, 17). Dali saw God in mathematical ratios and in atomic science. Dal wroteIn the surrealist period I wanted to create the iconography of the interior ball-the world of the marvelous, of my father Freud. I succeeded in doing it. Today the exterior world-that of physics-has transcended the one of psychology. My father today is Dr. Heisenberg. (Clocking, 17).The confusion of Persistence of Memory is the same size as the original Persistence of Memory. Upon examining the painting the viewer will notice that the clocks are no longer the first thing the eye is skeletal to. They are overshadowed by the mathemematical dissasembly of the steps, tree and painting overall. As the watches are less relevant, the them of time also become irrelevant to this particular painting. All things, the painting seems to be saying-even the persistence of memory-are overcome by, or incorporated into, one atomic reality (Clocking, 18). This painting, once resembled a still life, now seems to have a sense of movement to it. The swimming fish and even the disintegration of the steps and tree have movement that make the painting feel alive.The Disintegration of Persistence of Memory is housed at the Salvador Dali museum in St. Petersburg, Florida. In 2000 the two paintings were unify in an exhibited where they were shown side by side, so that the viewer could see the deviance in style and meaning behind each painting. The Dali museum in St. Petersburg, Florida was completed March 7 of 1982 and is made up of works from the private assemblage of the Mr. and Mrs. Morse, who began collecting Dalis work in 1940.One of the most celebrated artists of the 1900s, Salvador Dali and his artwork remain ingrained in the minds of anyone who has so much as glanced at one of his pieces. He provided the art world with a zany character who was himself, a walking art form. Although his style evolved throughout his life, his most memorable period was that of his Surrealist paintings. His mastery allowed him to remain at the forefront of the artistic community, and evolve along with the tastes of his fans.