Salvador's Dali

Encountering Salvador Dali's work is simply unforgettable.  You don't forget your favorite food, your first kiss, a broken heart, and you don't forget Dali.  Although a master of seemingly all painting styles his work is immediately recognizable.  To immerse yourself within his work as I did this past weekend leaves you awed, perplexed, shocked, intellectually titillated and longing for more.  Well, at least in my case, as his peculiar genius resonates with me.  And judging by the popularity of his work, I dare say there are others out there like me.

The Salvador Dali Museum in St. Petersburg, Florida is home to a collection of Dali's work that spans his life's work and showcases his artistic genius, and is where I spent this past Saturday.  And yes, I've used the superlative "genius" twice to describe Dali, but I use it with good authority, as Dali himself uses it of himself in his 1944 autobiography, The Secret Life of Salvador Dali.  He's best known for his surrealist works, but he had his hands in many different medium and reflected many different influences and he's likened to the classic artists of the Renaissance.  In fact, he states in his aforementioned autobiography that he was destined, "for nothing less than to rescue painting from the void of modern art."  If you have the pleasure of a Dalinean immersion you might be shocked by the very modern look to his most famous works, particularly the surreal paintings, but you can see the influence of such Renaissance artists as Raphael as well.

But, that's not what stands out to the average Joe not educated in art and art history, much like myself.  Without a docent explaining the Surrealist movement's objectives, or Dali's affinity for the work of Sigmund Freud, or the megalomania and insecurities of Dali, you might think you've stepped into the mind of a madman; and I say that not intending to be disparaging, for Salvador was a little loony, but in a good way.  You might think much of his work perverse as there seems to be phallic imagery throughout, and that's because Dali used phallic imagery everywhere!  Once acquainted with Dalinean symbolism you find that his ubiquitous use of phallic imagery symbolizes his own sexual insecurities, but without that knowledge you might think him simply a pervert.  He does refer to himself as a "backward, anarchistic polymorphous perverse" in his aforementioned autobiography, but that's not to be used out of context here; he's merely explaining one of the processes of his genius (and "genius" comes up again).  To see images of solid objects painted as if having lose all rigidity and droopy you might think him weird, but once you know he used this imagery to symbolize fluidity, as in painting clocks in this manner reflecting Einstein's theory of relativity, you get a different appreciation, although you might still think him a bit odd.

As my wife and I left the museum I knew I would be back some time soon.  In fact, I find myself not wanting to merely look on his work, but to get to know the man.  I wish I could have had a conversation with him, as I'm sure it would be anything but dull, but alas...  At the very least do yourself the favor of acquainting yourself with his work (a Google search, maybe).  If you have the opportunity for a Dalinean immersion, do it; it'll be worth it.