Dalí: Colour Library

by Christopher Masters

Salvador Dalí (1904-89) was one of the most controversial and paradoxical artists of the twentieth century. A painter of considerable virtuosity, he used a traditional illusionistic style to create disturbing images filled with references to violence, death, cannibalism and bizarre sexual practices, from the extraordinary limp watches in The Persistence of Memory to the gruesome monster in Soft Construction with Boiled Premonition of Civil War and the fetishistic lobster in the famous Lobster Telephone.

Born in Figueras, Spain, Dalí was initially influenced by Impressionism and Cubism, but subsquently became involved with the Surrealists, the most revolutionary artists of the time. They regarded his paintings as revealing the normally hidden world of the unconscious. Indeed the Surrealists’ leader, André Breton, “It is perhaps with Dalí that for the first time the windows of the mind are opened fully wide”. However, Breton later expelled him from the grou

Genres: Art, Nonfiction

128 pages, Paperback

First published January 8, 1995

Reviews

[Benjamin Plume · Rating 4 out of 5]

In addition to displaying beautiful and evocative art, this book taught me quite a bit about Salvador Dali. Seems he was something of a megalomaniac, but given his body of work I'm not sure he was in error to behave that way. Beyond his prolific works of art, he was also a novelist, poet, and nonfiction author (including THREE autobiographies). Seems he also dabbled in film, designed jewelry, and wrote ballets. I can't be sure if all of his work was of good quality, but the volume and breadth alone are impressive.

[keereads · Rating 4 out of 5]

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