Creative Suite

Artist Biography: Salvador Dali

November 26th, 2007

Salvador Domingo Felipe Jacinto Dali, better known all over the world as Salvador Dali, was a noted Spanish surrealist painter. He was known for his bizarrely striking surrealist paintings and other works. Dali was born on May 11, 1904 in the town of Figueres in Catalonia, Spain. His father, Salvador Dali y Cusi, was a lawyer and who was also a strict disciplinarian. It was Dali’s mother, Filipa Domenech Ferres who encouraged Dali to pursue his artistic inclinations.

Dali attended drawing school when he was young and discovered modern painting while on a summer vacation in Cadaques in 1916. He was first influenced to modern art by Ramon Pichot, a local artist who was able to visit Paris regularly. It led him to study at the School of Fine Arts in the Academia de San Fernando in Madrid in 1922. Even then, Dali was already getting some attention due to his eccentricity. He went around the academy wearing clothes reminiscent of late 19th Century English fashion, complete with long hair and sideburns.

But it was mainly his paintings at the academy, where Dali began to experiment with Cubism that drew some attention from his fellow students. His works then were considered as interesting since there were no cubist artists in Madrid during that time. Dali also experimented with the Dada style which became a major influence in his later works.

In 1926, Dali was expelled from the Academy just shortly before his final exams for arrogantly stating that no one from the school faculty can competently examine him. After being expelled, Dali went to visit Paris where he was able to meet up with another noted painter, Pablo Picasso who became Dali’s idol.

Dali was known to devour learning from different art styles and make them as part of his artworks. His artworks varied from the classical to the avant-garde and sometimes a mix of different artistic influences in one artwork. It was during this time that his art exhibitions in Barcelona were beginning to catch attention from admirers and critics both. It was also during the late 1920’s that Dali began to grow his trademark flamboyant moustache, said to be an influence of 17th Century Spanish painter, Diego Velasquez.

Aside from painting, Dali also collaborated with other artists in other types of media such as film and photography. In 1929, Dali collaborated with film director Luis Bunuel to make the short film, Un Chien Andalou (An Andalusian Dog). It was also during this time that Dali had important exhibitions of his surrealist works. In 1931, Dali painted what was to become one of his most famous works, The Persistence of Memory. This bizarre surrealist painting is known for their depiction of several melting clocks amidst a barren landscape, which made the images all the more eerie.

Entry Filed under: Artists