Dalí - Biography and Work: The Surrealist Era and Partnership with Gala
Explore the iconic phase of Salvador Dalí: the rise of surrealism, his encounter with Gala and Freud, the move to the United States, the atomic style, and the fusion of art with commerce. The life and work of the master.
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When he settled in Paris, he made numerous contacts, one of which was with the poet Paul Éluard, who was part of the surrealist group, married to the Russian Helena Ivanovna Diakanova, the famous Gala, with whom he had a daughter, Cécile, who was very mistreated by her mother, who abhorred motherhood. Until then, he had not had any romantic relationship with a woman. Although he denied it, he maintained a homoerotic relationship with the Andalusian poet, Gabriel Garcia Lorca, obsessed with him, with clear evidence of such a relationship. Dalí claimed not to have had any relationship with a woman, because he had not yet found the "ideal female" he had dreamed of: a young woman, with perfect back and forms, regardless of whether she was beautiful or ugly, or where she was found. And it was just in Gala, ten years older than him, that he found his long-sought muse, friend, lover, inspirer, dealer, and dominant woman.
Dalí and Gala Éluard , get married civilly in 1934. They lived together for 53 years, besides being his wife, she was his great muse and inspirer.
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From 1937, he presents his first surrealist objects as an alternative to earn money. In 1939, he is expelled from the surrealist movement. Critics said he devoted more love to money than to Surrealism, as he would be recognized in any pictorial manifestation, but preferred one that would give him fame and fortune. The French essayist André Breton created the anagram Avida Dollars to define him.
In 1938, Dali met Freud personally in London, just before the psychoanalyst's death.
In 1940, with the advance of German troops, the couple left for the United States. He publishes his first biography in 1942, at the same time as his fame consolidates. He collaborates on various film projects.
Moved by the tragedy of Hiroshima, he begins the so-called atomic style. Gala and Dali return to Spain in 1948 and settle in Port Lligat. He resumes academic influences and admires painting with religious inspiration.
In 1955, he combines his pictorial search with commercial aspects, such as portraits of personalities from the universe of celebrities.
In 1958, Gala and Dali get married on August 8 in a Catholic ceremony. In May 1959, the couple is received by Pope John XXIII at the Vatican.
Adept of luxury, the artist loved the golden color and had a passion for clothes. Another passion was his wife Gala Éluard, also a singular extravagance. The wife always took care of his life and health, besides receiving the credits for the mental health of her husband.
From 1961, Dalí follows with interest the technological advances and seeks a pictorial interpretation for them. At the same time, he explores his commercial strength by drawing jewelry and perfumes.
In 1974, the Theatre Dali Museum is inaugurated in Figueras. After the inauguration, the artist receives various international distinctions, besides the title of Marquês de Pubol, granted by the Spanish king.
In 1982, the Dali Museum is inaugurated in St. Petesburg, in the United States. At that time, the couple was very ill. On June 10, Gala dies and the painter falls into depression. Disappointed, the painter decided to lock himself up in his Castle of Pubol, in Figueras, from where he only left in 1984, after a fire that almost killed him. The health problems worsened, until, on January 23, 1989, the artist died, a victim of heart and respiratory insufficiency.
The Dali Tomb was designed to give the impression that the artist entered his own world. It is located under the dome of the Museum-Theatre in Figueras, where his first exhibition was held in 1919. The background is a drawing for the Labyrinth Ballet (1942)
COMMENTED ART...
To understand the rest of this journey, continue to our next article: Salvador Dalí - Biography and Work: Analysis of the Most Famous Paintings and His Legacy.
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