Salvador Dali's Surreal World
Born on May 11, 1904, one of the world's most reputable Spanish artists changed the way society looked at art. To fully understand how Salvador Dali impacted the art world, it must be made known that his love for the arts started at a very young age. As a child, his involvement in the art world grew quickly, studying the great works of artists and the popular art movements, Cubism and Metaphysics. Raised by his lawyer father and mother, they recognized their son's immense talent supporting him through art school and his long career. His profession would consist of making remarkable pieces of art work that would convey his creativity and the shocking quality of his imagination. During his early years, Salvador earned a lot of social attention from his fellow classmates. His eccentric sense of style, growing his hair and sunburns long and dressing like English Aesthetics of the 19th century set him apart from other kids his age. He was well known in school for his rebellious attitude and his apolitical views,
starting riots against authority. Dali constantly questioned his professors' credibility and remained apolitical throughout his life . In result of this, he was considered an outsider for declaring that no one was competent enough to review his work. His eccentric manner and attention-grabbing public attentions drew more popularity than his artwork at times. What Dali grew inspiration from ranged, from the most academically classic to the cutting edge avant-garde styles of art. As we see the artist grow, he adopts his signature curled mustache which became an iconic trademark for his appearance. He also experimented with new art movements such as Dada. In Shelley Esaak's article, What is Dada?, we learn that it was born in Europe "at a time when the horror of World War I was being played out in what amounted to citizens' front yards". Salvador's antigovernment and philosophical views on what was happening in social media reflected his artwork greatly. Analyzing his body of works, we learn how important cultural key concepts influence the artist and aids the creation of the surrealism movement. Surrealism is both a cultural movement and an artistic style that began in the early 1920s. "It uses the visual imagery from the subconscious mind to create art without the intention of logical comprehension". (Surrealism.org) Artists strived to combine the real world and their dreams, allowing the unconscious to express itself in the form of an idea or concept. Meanwhile, this concept was powerfully influenced by Sigmund Freud, who believed taboos weighed down one's capability to reveal the contradictions of the real world and their ability to express themselves. The movement encouraged many
individuals to learn how to channel their unconscious, unlocking their power of imagination. The original Parisian surrealists formed this organization in which artists could unite to protest the war using their subconscious.. By the late 1930s, Salvador Dali had become a public figure of the Surrealist movement. Salvador Dali is known to be one of the most versatile artists of the twentieth century. He is remembered for his paintings but has also been successful in printmaking, fashion and most famously for his filmmaking. His flamboyant personality was loved by all and landed him jobs collaborating with famous artists such as Chanel and many more. Dali's greatest works feature the element of surprise, creating fictional creatures from everyday objects in unnerving scenes. He was known for his photographic precision when creating these nonfictional creatures in his work. If it wasn't for this, he would not be the man he was creating intricate pieces of work that are now appreciated in the art world.
Retailers: Having done research on different retailers and how they use visual displays as a way to attract customers, I feel as if Anthropologie and Macy's would be the two retailers that featured these artistic bust forms. Anthropologie would be a great choice for they are known for their amazing and creative visual displays. They incorporate DIY crafts and different mediums and textures which come together to create beautiful displays. Anthropologie incorporates rich, sensual, and engaging environments that bring together elements of different cultures in a manner where no two stores are alike. Their use of art and crafts in their visual displays are highly reputable providing a connection between the store designs, the merchandise, and the customer, creating an unforgettable shopping experience. These two artistic bust forms would be a great tribute to the store's visual displays. Macy's is another retailer who are known for their window display and working with different artists to create visuals for their store. Salvador Dali was one of these artists that created art for the store as well as other reputable fashion magazines like Vogue. Being inspired by the artist led me to create these abstract bust forms that incorporate soft elements like flowers and butterflies, making it appealing to the eye. I believe these artistic bust forms would be a good choice for Macy's takes risks in their windows.
Bust Form #1:
Looking through Salvador Dali's art works, I was inspired by his use of the melting clocks and landscapes. He is able to come up with such abstract ideas yet put them in realistic settings. For my first design, I was intrigued by the idea of having the bust form made completely out of wiring coming together to make the silhouette of the form. Some of the wires would be created to mimic the appearance of branches and roots of a tree. Around the neck and body of the form, it would be surrounded by different vibrant flowers and i would place different watches around the form. These watches would be the focal point, in hopes to market this merchandise in another way then just in a display case. Salvador Dali incorporated various types of butterflies in his works of art. I would place pressed butterflies around the bust form, from the neck block down to the base. These butterflies would also be very vibrant in color and various in sizes. At the bottom of the base, you would see more branches as if the bust form was a tree.
Bust Form #2:
For my second bust form, I drew a lot of inspiration from the painting shown above. I would make a bust form incorporating umbrellas. I would make a bust form to replicate the dress above, showing an umbrella silhouette. The neck of the bust form would be covered in light blue crystals to mimic the appearance of raindrops. The umbrella silhouette would make up the body of the bust form and underneath of it would be hanging crystals again to mimic raindrops falling. I feel like these would be really innovated and beautiful to see in a window.
Works Cited Bradley, Fiona. Dalí, Salvador (1904 - 1989), Painter, Draughtsman, Illustrator, Sculptor. n.p.: Oxford University Press, 1996. Grove Art Online. Web. 29 Apr. 2014 "Dali Gallery." Surrealism. N.p., n.d. Web Esaak, Shelley. "What Is Dada?" About.com Art History. About.com, n.d. Web. 28 Apr. 2014. Nealon, Jeffrey T., and Susan Searls. Giroux. The Theory Toolbox: Critical Concepts for the New Humanities. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield, 2003. Print. "Salvador Felipe Jacinto Dalí y Domenech." 2014. The Biography.com website. Apr 29 2014 http://www.biography.com/people/salvador-dalí-40389. "The Art Story.org - Your Guide to Modern Art." Surrealism Movement, Artists and Major Works. The Art Story Foundation, n.d. Web. 29 Apr. 2014.