Monumental Spanish artist (1904-1989), major representative of surrealism

His provocations shocked the art world, his visions fascinates the masses. Salvador Dalí belonged doubtless to the fascinating personalities of the art history. As painter, graphic artist, illustrator, sculptor, stage director or writer – Dalí always opened new ways and set landmarks for present and future generations.

For Salvador Dalí, painting is the visualization of his phantasy, which is inspired by a self-created reality. For him, dreams and hallucinations are the real world. The themes of his works are marked by the constant self-exploration and the influence of Freud’s psychoanalysis.

The main representative of the veristic surrealism began his education at the Academy in Madrid, being expelled from there because of his riotous conduct. However, he continued to study the paintings of old masters, whose thematic is to be found again in his own works. His early work is marked by cubism and the Italian futurism.
Through Miro, he joined in 1928 the surrealist circle. There, he met Gala, the muse of surrealists. She became his life partner and model for many paintings.
The versatile artist dealt not only with painting and sculpture, but also with film. Together with Bunuel, he made in 1929 “The Andalusian Dog”. One year later, his first book followed, in which he explained his ʺparanoiac-critical method”.
In 1940, Dalí went for eight years in the United States, working there mainly in the field of fashion and advertising. Returning to Spain, he was attracted by Catholicism and included more and more religious and mythological themes in his works.

The bizarre forms and characters in his paintings are often deviating from reality, being involved in a phantasy dream world with absurd combinations of objects. However, they display an impressive realism. For Salvador Dalí, the staged provocation was an essential element of his art.

The field of graphic arts, that includes artistic representations, which are reproduced by various printing techniques.

Printmaking techniques include woodcuts, copperplate engraving, etching, lithography, serigraphy.

Related Links:
Heliogravure
Woodcut
Copperplate engraving
Etching
Lithography
Serigraphy (Silk-screen printing)

A trend in contemporary arts that developed in Europe and America. In connection with psychoanalysis of Sigmund Freud it searches the actual truth in the subconscious. Surrealism exploits dreams and ecstatic experiences, as well as hypnotic states, as a source of artistic inspiration.

Famous artists and sculptors in this trend are: Max Ernst, Salvador Dali, Giorgio de Chirico, Yves Tanguy, Joan Miró, René Magritte.