Salvador Dali Biography

Salvador Dali Biography

Salvador Dali was born as Salvador Felip Jacint Dali i Domenech on May 11, 1904 in Figueras in Catalonia, Spain. He was named Salvador in memory of his older brother Salvador who died of gastroenteritis nine months before he was born. This had a profound effect, especially when his parents took him to visit his brother's grave and told him, he was his brother's reincarnation. Dali came to believe this and had an early understanding of himself as a 'replay, a double, an absence.'

Dali produced over 1500 paintings in his career in addition to producing illustrations for books, lithographs, designs for theatre seats and costumes, a great number of drawings, dozens of sculptures, and various other projects, including an animated cartoon for Disney.1 He is best known perhaps for his painting The Persistence of Memory in 1931, the crazy landscape with the droopy, melted clocks. He also became famous as the surrealist artist with the flamboyant personality and looks, in particular, for his pop-eyes and his super waxed turned up mustache.1

His first contact With painting was through Ramon Pichott, a friend of his father, who was an impressionist painter and associate of Picasso. He entered the Real Academia de Bellas Artes de San Fernando in Madrid in 1921. He did well at the school but was expelled in 1926, when he stated that no one on the faculty was competent enough to examine him. Dali thought very highly of himself. He famously said, "Every morning upon awakening, I experience a supreme pleasure, that of being Salvador Dali."1

In 1926, Dali also made his first visit to Paris, where he met with Pablo Picasso, Miro, Raphael, Bronzino, and Velazquez.1 He was known for using both classical and modernist techniques, sometimes in separate works, and sometimes combined.

In 1929, Dali met his muse, inspiration, and future wife Gala Eluard. She was a Russian immigrant eleven years his senior, and at the time married to surrealist poet Paul Eluard. In 1934 after living together since 1929 the two were married in a civil ceremony; they later remarried in a Catholic ceremony in 1958.1 Gala appeared in many of Dali's works throughout his whole career. He and Gala lived in Port Lligat until World War II started in Europe. The couple then moved to the United States in 1940 and lived there until 1948. In 1949 he and Gala returned to Catalonia, Spain where they spent the remaining years of their lives.1

In the years following 1949 until his death, Dali did paint some; mostly themed toward Catholicism and religious subject matter. Such as the Railway Station at Perpignan, 1965, which I will discuss later. During this time in his life he seemed to be more focused on film, and writing.

Around 1980, Dali's health started to take a bad turn. It is rumored Gala had been allegedly dosing him