When it comes to Catalan arts and surrealism, there is one visionary man who is worthy of being called a master: Salvador Dali. His creations are mind boggling, psychological, artistically unique and most importantly, modern. A fantastic draftsman, he was most popular for his surrealist paintings as well as collaborations with numerous artists and fashion designers particularly Elsa Schiaparelli in which Dali created the painting for the Lobster Dress, an iconic dress. He is not just an artist; he was a great commercial influence and was incredibly open to the media.

The most iconic work of Salvador Dali would have to be the Persistence of Memory which he completed in 1931. Right now, it is part of the permanent collection at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City. It is an image of a landscape with striking images of watches, seemingly melting, a disturbing but highly influential image that still appeals to a massive crowd. The painting was inspired by the theory of Softness and Hardness by Dali himself. It was said that soft watch meant the space and time relativity and this painting is a representation of the collapse of the fixed cosmic order.

Salvador Dali was an eccentric man and he was a man who loved passions and indulgence. He liked luxurious things, gilded and elaborate things and so it is no wonder why he had an affinity for orientalist fashion. He was attention seeking and this is a way to irritate his critics more and more.

Salvador Dali used symbolism, a lot, actually into his paintings. There are phallic undertones, elephants, obelisks and eggs. His works are provocative and often times analyzed in a psychological manner, more than artistically. His works seem to really manifest more very deep ideas mixed with subconscious elements and cosmic, pseudo scientific or carnal elements. Nonetheless, Dali has his fans and his patrons support his work though they seem to also not like him being extremely publicized in the media.

Dali created more than 1500 paintings in his lifetime. He was also cited as an important source of inspiration for a lot of modern artists like Jeff Koons, Damien Hirst and modern day surrealists. His face was iconic, even his ever changing mustache that has its own personality. Indeed, Dali was a personality. He is an icon of art, and of popular culture. Nonetheless, the depth of his work and the incredible complexity of his paintings show that he is a force that is to be lauded and praised, deserving of praise in the industry.

Related posts you may like...

• Costa Brava, Spain
• Barcelona’s Undying Treasures
• Monumental Moments in Seville Spain
• The All-in-One Recharger You Need on the Road
• The Beauty of Barcelona