The impossible-to-pronounce “Assumpta Corpuscularia Lapislazulina” helps tells us where the then 48-year-old Dalí’s head was at when he painted this spectacular but strange Nuclear Mystical masterpiece in 1952. Dalí was deeply invested in his new atomic period at this time, proclaiming he was “becoming classical” and moving away from Surrealism toward a new vision, a…
By Paul Chimera Dalí Writer/Historian Like what they say about a person’s eyes, Dalí’s paintings were, in effect, windows to his soul. They reflected his interests, his passions, his fears, his endless curiosity as a creative colossus. “Explosion of Mystical Faith in a Cathedral” is something of a mirror reflecting Dalí’s focus at…
By Paul Chimera Dalí Writer/Historian “That’s by Salvador Dalí?!” Such an expression of incredulity is not common among those who mistakenly believe Dalí painted just melting clocks and giraffes on fire, then contemplate a painting like his 1945 “Basket of Bread” (Teatru-Museu Dalí, Figueres, Spain). I consider two main points especially important in…
By Paul Chimera Dalí Writer/Historian It may be hard to find a more quintessentially Surrealist Dalí painting than the important and beautifully painted picture, “Imperial Monument to the Child-Woman” of 1930. The 27-year-old Dalí had only recently met Gala, fast becoming the love (and obsession) of his life and, for all intents and purposes,…
By Paul Chimera Dalí Historian/Writer “Slave Market with Disappearing Bust of Voltaire” defines Salvador Dalí for me: an imaginative artist with exceptional technical gifts and an extraordinary capacity for seeing what mere mortals could not! As a Dalí expert and great admirer of the artist, I’ve long considered “Slave Market” emblematic of everything…
By Paul Chimera Dalí Writer/Historian Salvador Dalí was a man of great contrasts. “Noel” of 1946 is sure to surprise those who equate Dalí solely with the bizarre and the madcap. Here is what simply has to be considered one of Dalí’s loveliest paintings, whose obvious seasonality is appropriate to spotlight this week. There’s…
By Paul Chimera Dalí Writer/Historian Dalí’s artistic world was far from a tidy place. Yes, he painted many beautiful works – works that would not in the strict sense of the word even be considered surrealistic. Much of it was masterful realism, with a dash of mysticism and, of course, at least a hint…
By Paul Chimera Dalí Writer/Historian At the risk of repeating myself, let me emphasize how important Salvador Dalí’s technical mastery as a draftsman was to the impact of his paintings. A truly superb example is “The Virgin of Guadalupe” of 1959. The photographic precision with which Dalí painted this large masterwork convinces us…
By Paul Chimera Dalí Writer/Historian If I were to list what I believe are the 10 best oil paintings by Salvador Dalí, “Metamorphosis of Narcissus” would be near the top. This picture, which Dalí took with him when he had his one and only – and legendary – meeting with Surrealism’s patron saint, Sigmund…
By Paul Chimera Dalí Writer/Historian Today’s post is not merely about a Salvador Dalí painting. It’s about what could arguably be considered one of the greatest paintings in all of art history: “Christ of St. John of the Cross” (1951). There might have been a time when such a powerful assertion would have been…