Daliism

“Daliism” Salvatore Dali was a Spanish artist who redefined a genre with new ideas and styles of painting. Dali’s work is often described as surrealist art, which is, according to Webster’s dictionary, “the principles, ideals, or practice of producing fantastic or incongruous imagery or effects in art by means of unnatural or irrational juxtapositions and combinations.” It is also said that Dali had created his own legacy and following which lead to the creation of his own sub-genre “Daliism.” In order to describe his art one must first understand Dali’s life, origins, and development.
First of all, Salvatore Dali was born in Spain in 1904 to a prestigious and wealthy family. From his early years it was recognized that he had a natural talent for painting when he began his first lessons at ten years old. As his art education continued Dali became infatuated with drugs and alcohol which seemed to have drove him insane. As told in his biography by Frank Weyers, “Dali began to study art at the Royal Academy of Art in Madrid. He was expelled twice and never took the final examinations. His opinion was that he was more qualified than those who should have examined him.” At the time Dali’s work still had not become the surreal work he is famous for today. Dali began to study under a famous surrealist known as Andre Breton until Dali was sent away for suspicion of supporting fascism. Dali continued to paint with no further instruction and slowly developed his own style. “During his lifetime the public got a picture of a bizarre paranoid. His personality caused a lot of controversy. After his death in 1989 his name remained in the headlines.” (Weyers 1999) Additionally, “When broken down, Dali’s art is seen to have made such drastic changes due to his obsession with the unconscious mind. His paintings originated as still-life and realist in his early years and became more and more abstract as time progressed.” (Hughes 2004) It is this bridge between art and