By Paul Chimera Salvador Dalí Historian/Writer Salvador Dalí’s popularity – during his long and illustrious career, and still very much today – was not unlike that of a rock star. He was not merely a great artist, but a pop celebrity as well. I remember an anecdote shared years ago by Eleanor Morse,…
By Paul Chimera Salvador Dalí Writer/Historian As a Dalí historian, blogger, collector, and die-hard aficionado, I confess I don’t focus nearly enough on Salvador Dalí’s early art – the very first works he created as a teenager and even younger. Of course, it’s easy to get distracted from such a focus, given the…
By Paul Chimera Salvador Dalí Writer/Historian It’s “fuego” in Spanish. “Foc” in Catalan. And it occupies a curious place in the life and work of Spain’s hottest artistic product, Salvador Dalí. I’m talking, of course, about “fire.” Dalí’s most prominent and provocative representation of fire appeared in his outrageous and iconic images of…
By Paul Chimera Salvador Dalí Historian The importance of Dalí’s homeland in Port Lligat, on Spain’s Costa Brava, can never be underestimated. Dalí’s surrealism was influenced enormously by the distinctive, unique shapes, colors, and textures of the rocky terrain that skirted his and Gala’s seaside villa. The terraced cliffs, dramatic skies, and peculiar,…
By Paul Chimera Salvador Dalí Historian Salvador Dalí’s work is so much more interesting – at least I think so – when you can get a glimpse into his creative process. Dalí was such a perfectionist of a painter (not to mention as a creator of prints, drawings, watercolors, sculpture, even holograms) that it’s…
By Paul Chimera Salvador Dalí Historian I know that many of my fellow Salvador Dalí enthusiasts/aficionados/collectors/fans/scholars/historians – call us what you will – are as fascinated by Dalí the man as by Dalí the artist. What we mean, of course, is that we love the Dalí persona: the antics, the surrealist happenings, the…
By Paul Chimera Salvador Dalí Historian Salvador Dalí did a variety of interesting greeting card designs for Hallmark, but for my money none was as lovely and painstakingly executed as the one here, though I don’t know if it has a title. No matter; what we can comfortably call it is quintessentially Dalínian by…
By Paul Chimera Salvador Dalí Historian Sometimes we get so focused on the large paintings, intricate prints, and masterful drawings of Salvador Dalí that we tend to overlook some of his less prominent yet still very revealing works. Today I’m putting the spotlight on a small oil on canvas (approx. 10” x 14”,…
By Paul Chimera Salvador Dalí Historian One of the hallmarks of Salvador Dalí’s art was his counter-culture vision: when, in art school, his drawing instructor had the class copy a particular statue, Dalí drew a pair of scales! That’s what he saw, he insisted. How an artist “sees” is what makes him or…
By Paul Chimera Salvador Dalí Historian Christians honor the real reason for the season – not that they don’t also lock a big holiday hug on jolly old Saint Nick – and this brings us to – of all people – Salvador Dalí. Dalí’s religious art in general is legendary and impressive. And…