Page 60 - Demo

Art School and SurrealismIn 1922, Dal%u00ed enrolled at the Academia de San Fernando in Madrid. He stayed at the school%u2019s student residence and soon brought his eccentricity to a new level, growing long hair and sideburns, and dressing in the style of English Aesthetes of the late 19th century. During this time, he was influenced by several different artistic styles, including Metaphysics and Cubism, which earned him attention from his fellow students%u2014though he probably didn%u2019t yet un- derstand the Cubist movement entirely. In 1923, Dal%u00ed was suspended from the academy for criticizing his teachers and allegedly starting a riot among students over the academy%u2019s choice of a professorship. That same year, he was arrested and briefly imprisoned in Gerona for allegedly supporting the Separatist movement, though Dal%u00ed was actually apolitical at the time (and remained so throughout most of his life). He returned to the academy in 1926, but was permanently expelled shortly before his final exams for declaring that no member of the faculty was competent enough to examine him.While in school, Dal%u00ed began exploring many forms of art including classical painters like Raphael, Bronzino and Diego Vel%u00e1zquez (from whom he adopted his signature curled moustache). He also dabbled in avant-garde art move- ments such as Dada, a post-World War I anti-establishment movement. While Dal%u00ed%u2019s apolitical outlook on life pre- vented him from becoming a strict follower, the Dada philosophy influenced his work throughout his life.In between 1926 and 1929, Dal%u00ed made several trips to Paris, where he met with influential painters and intellectuals such as Picasso, whom he revered. During this time, Dal%u00ed painted a number of works that displayed Picasso%u2019sinfluence. He also met Joan Mir%u00f3, the Spanish painter and sculptor who, along with poet Paul %u00c9luard and painter Magritte, introduced Dal%u00ed to Surrealism. By this time, Dal%u00ed was working with styles of Impressionism, Futurism and Cubism. Dal%u00ed%u2019s paintings became associated with three general themes: 1) man%u2019s universe and sensations, 2) sexual symbolism and 3) ideographic imagery.All of this experimentation led to Dal%u00ed%u2019s first Surrealistic period in 1929. These oil paintings were small collages of his dream images. His work employed a meticulous classical technique, influenced by Renaissance artists, that contra- dicted the %u201cunreal dream%u201d space that he created with strange hallucinatory characters. Even before this period, Dal%u00ed was an avid reader of Sigmund Freud%u2019s psychoanalytic theories. Dal%u00ed%u2019s major contribution to the Surrealist movement was what he called the %u201cparanoiac-critical method,%u201d a mental exercise of accessing the subconscious to enhance artis- tic creativity. Dal%u00ed would use the method to create a reality from his dreams and subconscious thoughts, thus mental- ly changing reality to what he wanted it to be and not necessarily what it was. For Dal%u00ed, it became a way of life.In 1929, Dal%u00ed expanded his artistic exploration into the world of film-making when he collaborated with Luis Bu%u00f1uel on two films, Un Chien andalou (An Andalusian Dog) and L%u2019Age d%u2019or (The Golden Age, 1930), the former of which is known for its opening scene%u2014a simulated slashing of a human eye by a razor. Dal%u00ed%u2019s art appeared several years later in another film, Alfred Hitchcock%u2019s Spellbound (1945), starring Gregory Peck and Ingrid Bergman. Dal%u00ed%u2019s paintings were used in a dream sequence in the film, and aided the plot by giving clues to solving the secret to character John Ballantine%u2019s psychological problems.In August 1929, Dal%u00ed met Elena Dmitrievna Diakonova (sometimes written as Elena Ivanorna Diakonova), a Russian immigrant 10 years his senior. At the time, she was the wife of Surrealist writer Paul %u00c9luard. A strong mental and physical attraction developed between Dal%u00ed and Diakonova, and she soon left %u00c9luard for her new lover. Also known as %u201cGala,%u201d Diakonova was Dal%u00ed%u2019s muse and inspiration, and would eventually become his wife. She helped balanceor one might say counterbalance%u2014the creative forces in Dal%u00ed%u2019s life. With his wild expressions and fantasies, he wasn%u2019t capable of dealing with the business side of being an artist. Gala took care of his legal and financial matters, and negotiated contracts with dealers and exhibition promoters. The two were married in a civil ceremony in 1934. By 1930, Dal%u00ed had become a notorious figure of the Surrealist movement. Marie-Laure de Noailles and Viscount and Viscountess Charles were his first patrons. French aristocrats, both husband and wife invested heavily in avant-gar- de art in the early 20th century. One of Dal%u00ed%u2019s most famous paintings produced at this time%u2014and perhaps the bestknown Surrealist work%u2014was The Persistence of Memory (1931). The painting, sometimes called Soft Watches, shows melting pocket watches in a landscape setting. It is said that the painting conveys several ideas within the image, chiefly that time is not rigid and everything is destructible.By the mid-1930s, Dal%u00ed had become as notorious for his colorful personality as his artwork, and, for some art critics, the former was overshadowing the latter. Often sporting an exaggeratedly long mustache, a cape and a walking stick, Dal%u00ed%u2019s public appearances exhibited some unusual behavior. In 1934, art dealer Julian Levy introduced Dal%u00ed to Amer- ica in a New York exhibition that caused quite a lot of controversy. At a ball held in his honor, Dal%u00ed, in characteristic flamboyant style, appeared wearing a glass case across his chest which contained a brassiere.60 MOST MAGAZINE - ISSUE 40