Presently, we have a couple series running that demonstrate various aspects of the life that Salvador Dalí led, centralizing on his most provocative incidences of his existence and just yesterday we began the evaluation of Dalí’s rapport with his family members. Adding to our plethora of Dalí-centric series, we now launch a collection of articles spotlighting the art of Salvador Dalí and the evolution of his

methodology that established him as a vanguard in the art world. [ Pictured below is Dalí’s The Crepuscular Old Man ] More examples of his paintings after the cut! 

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To be a real Dalinian, one must first be a real masochist. 

 ~ Salvador Dalí 

How does one begin to comprehend the mentality and artistry of Salvador Dalí? This feat is nothing if not impractical. Salvador Dalí was a character made of his own design and who better to understand the inner workings of one’s creation than its creator? In spite of this, much of Salvador Dalí can be understood in relation to the evolution of his artwork through the use of exploration of poignant periods throughout his life. In understanding these “small,” yet significant pieces of his past it can help to construct the puzzle of Salvador Dalí.

To understand Dalí, it is important to first understand the art movement that he was born into. Modernism –also known as the avant-garde– was a revolutionary movement in the art world. Gaining its utmost recognition beginning in 1910, this movement was designed to break away from its predecessors. No longer were picturesque images produced and manifested to carefully reveal the narration behind an artist’s work. Within Modernism, its goal was to strip an image from its meaning, reducing it to its essential form and function. Modernism gave rise to movements such as Cubism, Dadaism, Abstract Expressionism, Futurism and Surrealism. Artists began to challenge the traditional, those preconceived ideals of society which had been carried and promoted throughout history. So, how does this relate to the artist known as Salvador Dalí?

As most have come to know, Salvador Dalí was born on May 11, 1904 in Figueres, Spain. You may have heard in relation to this that he was not the first Salvador Dalí to be born. The Salvador Dalí who made such an impression on our world was second born to his parents. His older brother, also named Salvador Dalí, died almost ten months prior to his birth. As a result, he carried the weight of this knowledge throughout his childhood. Having witnessed the way his parents idolized their first born, even after death, impacted and encumbered him as a child and would no doubt follow him throughout his adulthood.

The aforementioned aside, the period of Dalí’s youth was very colorful indeed. His father, being a highly respected and influential notary and lawyer,

placed the Dalí family within the rankings of middle-class Spanish society. As a result, doors were opened to many influential families and experiences. One of those families was the Pitxot family whom the Dalís vacationed with during the summer of 1916 in Cadaqués. It was within this family that Dalí encountered one of his greatest mentors – Ramon Pitxot.

Here at this seaside town is where Dalí’s passion for art became heightened and some of his earliest works were produced. With the influence of Ramon Pitxot’s paintings, which were derived from Impressionism, Dalí began to be educated in the modern movements within the art world. Like the passion which consumed Dalí throughout his life, he became obsessed. The Pitxot family saw within Dalí a tremendous talent and was able to encourage his father to see that it did not go to waste.

Upon returning to Figueres, Dalí’s father enrolled him in the Municipal School of Drawing with Professor Joan Núñez. Here, Dalí’s pai

nting, as well as his imagination, flourished. In 1918, he produced “The Crepuscular Old Man,” as well as “Self-Portrait in the Studio” [ Pictured to the upper left ]

in 1919. It is said that Dali’s earliest works were much different from those produced later in his career. Much of his subject matter consisted of landscapes and portraitures. Dalí once said: “I was against everything, systematically and on principle. In my childhood I always did things differently from others, but almost without being aware of it."

Dalí liked to experiment with the different movements within modern art. Prompted by Pitxot’s influence, it is not surprising that his works produced during this early period were reminiscent of Impressionism. Here his piece incorporated movement, light and discernible brush strokes. It is said that when comparing his earlier works to those work’s of artists of that time, Dalí produced pieces that were much more vibrant in terms of color use. His most notable affiliation to this art form was titled “Landscape Near Figueres,” [ Pictured above ] created in 1910 when he was just six years old. So, is it just a coincidence that his first painting coincides with the pinnacle of Modernism?

As it turns out, 1919 would become a big year for Dalí. It was in this year that he had his first exhibition given by the Concert Society of Figueres. His first showing as an artist would come to meet critical acclaim. It would be this recognition that would fuel Dalí’s desire to flee his childhood town of Figueres in pursuit of a richer, diverse, and more artistically challenging atmosphere. However, this would not be the only life-altering event which would provoke the anxieties and necessity for Dalí’s escape.

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Take the opportunity and read the rest of the series:

Part Two: 1920-1929

Part Three: 1930-1939

Part Four: 1940-1949

Part Five: 1950-1959

Part Six: 1960

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