Surrealism, [born in the 1920’s|a trend that began in the 1920s], was [parented by|part of|initiated by] the Dada movement that [emerged|came to life] in Paris during [War World I|the first World War]. [Inspired by|Born of] [visual art, photography and writings|writing, photography and visual arts], Surrealism was a cultural movement that [incorporated|merged] schools of thought on [politics, philosophy and social theory|philosophy, social theory and politics]. Salvador Dali was a [flamboyant|eccentric|colorful] surrealist who [contributed artistically|made significant artistic contributions] to the movement.
Temptation of Saint Anthony
One of his later works, Dali claimed that he had converted to mysticism. The Atomic era influenced his thinking and is evident in this painting. The naked Antonius wards off a mounted horse with elongated legs that defy the law of gravity. Saint Anthony attempts to steel himself against earthy temptations. Symbolizing lust and greed, floang elephants approach on outsized, thin legs.
Portrait of Picasso
Dali incorporated all elements that depicted the origins of the artist Picasso. In this painting, the bust of Picasso is mounted on a pedestal, a symbol of consecration. A large rock rests on Picasso’s head symbolizing the responsibility and influence of his art. Picasso’s face is a goat hoof and the headdress of the Greco-Iberian marble bust the Lady of Elche paying tribute to Picasso’s birthplace.
Self-Portrait with Fried Bacon Surrealism Statue
An ode to Dali’s “soul’s glove”, not the soul or the inner self, this self-portrait portrays his face with ants and fried bacon. It was a work painted during Dali’s eight-year-exile in the U.S. He fled Spain during the Spanish Civil War. During this time he painted from the inside out, and it appeared that he did a reversal on his “paranoid-critical method.” This painting symbolizes the Surrealist giving himself up as food, providing in his own words the most “delicious delicacies.”
Geopolitical Child Watches Birth of New Human
In this work Dali creates a fiery Earth, a new human is born and is emerging from a plastic egg while a child looks on hoping for the comfort of its mother; the painting symbolizes the evolution of order, a new beginning and a world without flaws.
Poetry of America Cosmic Athletes
Asking mankind to think about the dangers of conflicts within the modern world, this painting symbolizes the new human with a golden man balancing an egg on his finger. The striking imagery again emphasizes Dali’s paranoid-critical method, a subconscious association of those things that are not related in the real world.
Burning Giraffe Woman with Drawers
This painting speaks to Dali’s internal struggles with his country during the period of time he was in the U.S. amidst the Spanish Civil War. Open drawers line the leg of a slender blue woman with outstretched arms, believed to represent the “open drawers” of man’s subconscious.
Dream Caused Flight of a Bee
This painting is of Dali’s wife, Gala unclothed and asleep. With long and thin legs, an elephant walks across the sea’s horizon carrying an obelisk. Near Gala, two drops of water and a small pomegranate are supsended in the air. Above a larger pomegranate, a fish emerges that holds a tiger in its mouth from which another tiger emerges. In front of the second tiger, a rifle’s bayonet touches the women’s right arm. It is a painting that shows the influence of Freud’s theories on dreams and some believe is an interpretation of the Theory of Evolution.
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