Salvador Dali and his surreal way of life…

Salvador Dali is popularly known as Dali. He is popular around the world for creating a new genre in art… the surrealism. Dali is also known for his right in the eye bizarre and surreal images. Dali got strongly influenced by thoughts, ideas and artworks of the Renaissance period. He was eccentric by nature and he drew attention of his critics who remained mostly irritated by his weird antics and outrageous behavior and public actions.

Dali was passionate about style, statement making and luxury. There have been several films, sculptures and photography exhibitions performed by Dali in collaboration with other artists. Dali gave many art lectures around Europe but his fame was greatly popular in the USA. Dali’s most famous paintings include “The Metamorphosis of Narcissus”, “Landscape Near Figueras”, “Dream Caused by the Flight of a Bee Around a Pomegranate a Second Before Awakening” and “The Great Masturbator” which are some of his greatest symbolic art representations.

Besides painting Dali indulged in writing and produced some great literary works like “The Secret Life of Salvador Dalí”, “Diary of a Genius” and “Oui: The Paranoid-Critical Revolution”.

Dali created great many lithographs, etchings and graphic arts. Dali was a self proclaimed genius who is referred for his paintings even in the modern times.

Enjoy the photos below…

1.SURREALISM AND DALI

2.SALVADOR DALI IN PARIS , 1973

3. DALI ATOMICUS

4. DALI AND LOBSTER

5. DALI GALA AND THE INSPIRATION

6. DALI IN FRANCE PHOTO BY ROBERT WHITAKER, 1967

7. DALI IN SANTA SUIT IN THE MIDDLE OF SUMMER WITH HIS WIFE GALA

8. DALI AND THE SUMMER WAY

9. DALI AND HIS PORTRAIT BY ALBERTO SCHOMMER, 1973 

10. SALVADOR DALI PORT LLIGAT, CATALOGNIA, 1964

11. ”LE DINER” SALVADOR DALI AND LOTTE TARP BY WERNER BOKELBERG, 1965

12. DALI AND COCO CHANEL’S STUDIO

13. DALI AND THE SEASHELLS AT HIS HOME IN CADAQUES PHOTO BY CHARLES HEWITT, 1955

15. DALI IS WORKING

SALVADOR DALI TIMELINE

1904 :
Dali was born as Salvador Doménec Felip Jacint Dalí i Domènech on 11 May

1916:
Dali made a summer trip to Cadaqués with the family of Ramon Pichot, a local artist who made regular trips to Paris, and was greatly inspired by modern painting

1917:
Dali’s father organized an exhibition that featured Dali’s charcoal drawings and the show was held in their family home

1919:
It was not before 1919 that Dali held his very first public art exhibition at the Municipal Theater in Figueres

1921:
Dali was 16 years old when he lost his mother in February. She died after suffering from breast cancer

1922:
Dali shifted into the Residencia de Estudiantes (Students’ Residence) in Madrid to pursue his studies at the Academia de San Fernando (School of Fine Arts)

1924:
Dali did his first illustration of a book

1926 :
Dali got expelled from his Art College for making a statement that there was no one so competent as to examine him and his work

1926:
Dali produced his brilliant artwork, ‘Basket of Bread’ which upheld his highest mastery of painting

1926:
Dali made another move by moving to Paris, where he met with Pablo Picasso (a pioneer of Cubism), whom the young Dalí revered

1929:
He went into collaboration with surrealist film director Luis Buñuel to bring out the short film Un Chien Andalou (An Andalusian Dog)

1929:
In August Dali met his future wife, Elena Ivanovna Diakonova who was the artist’s inspiration and was better known as Gala.

1929:
Dali got involved with his several significant exhibitions and he also became an official member of the Surrealist group in the Montparnasse quarter of Paris

1929:
Dali’s growing dissent with his father (relating to Dali’s affair with Gala and an exhibition featuring Dali’s drawing of the “Sacred Heart of Jesus Christ” where he had inscribed “Sometimes, I spit for fun on my mother’s portrait” which enraged him completely) led him to be thrown out of his paternal home on 28 December

1931:
Dalí painted one of his most famous works “The Persistence of Memory” which reflected the core of surrealism soft, melting pocket watches for the first time.

1934:
Dali and Gala got married at a civil ceremony after living together for several years since 1929

1934:
Dali got introduced to USA by Julian Levy, an art dealer

1934:
Dali attended a masquerade party in New York, hosted for them by heiress Caresse Crosby

1936:
Dali participated in the London International Surrealist Exhibition where he lectured his Fantomes paranoiaques authentiques wearing a deep-sea diving suit and helmet

1936:
Dali was helped greatly by his London based patron, Edward James who was very rich and had purchased several works of Dali.

1938:
Dali met Sigmund Freud with the help of Stefan Zweig.

1938:
In late September Salvador Dalí was invited by Gabrielle Coco Chanel to her house La Pausa in Roquebrune. He painted several paintings there which he later exhibited at Julien Levy Gallery in New York

1939:
Dali faced an insult in the hands of Breton who coined the term “Avida Dollars” which was an anagram for Salvador Dalí, and a phonetic rendering of the French avide à dollars, which when translated comes as “eager for dollars”. This was a direct derision for Dali as his works were pointed as commercial works. It was being perceived that Dali wanted all the fame and fortune and there were surrealists who started speaking about Dali as if he was dead

1940:
During World War II had swept the whole of Europe and Dali moved to the United States along with his wife Gala living there for 8 years

1941:
Dalí made a film draft for Jean Gabin named “Moontide”

1942:
Dalí published his autobiography, “The Secret Life of Salvador Dalí”.

1943:
He wrote several catalogs for his exhibitions one of which is the notable exhibition at Knoedler Gallery in New York

1944:
Dali wrote a novel about a fashion salon for automobiles

1959:
André Breton organized an exhibition that was named “Homage to Surrealism” which featured the works of Dalí, Joan Miró, Enrique Tábara, and Eugenio Granell as a celebration of the fortieth anniversary of Surrealism

1968:
Dalí filmed a humorous television advertisement for Lanvin chocolates which he claimed in French “Je suis fou de chocolat Lanvin!” (I’m crazy about Lanvin chocolate).

1969:
Dali designed the Chupa Chups logo

1975:
Dali completed working on the film, “Impressions of Upper Mongolia” where Dali narrated a story about an expedition in search of giant hallucinogenic mushrooms

1982:
Dali’s wife Gala died on 10 June

1988:
In November Dali was admitted to the hospital after heart failure

1988 :
On 5 December Dali died

Sources: The Famous People