ARTISTS ON ART
Naomi Katherina Richmond
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SALVADOR DALI the artist in retrospect considering his personal memoirs
Salvador Dali is largely recognized as the master and founding father of the Surrealist movement. An artist who constructed ‘mental windows’ into dreamlike alter realities implementing the methods of old masters while translating theories cohesive with French philosopher Henri Bergson on canvas. Dali has largely been considered a complex and intellectual individual, with extreme views and an eccentric personality. Many scholars have examined his work considering concepts surrounding theories of perception, psychology and language. O.B. Zaslavskii heavily discusses Dali’s allegorical representation of language through imagery in his essay ‘Language as an underlying idea in Salvador Dali's works’ quoting…
“… A Dali painting proves to be synthetic in the sense that semiotic languages of mutually complementary kinds are essentially active in it - the language of images
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His descriptive analysis resonates far more with a painting than of an academic or medical analysis. It also allows an understanding of the complex chaotic vessel that was his mind; Dali, who mentions having “long and exhaustive imaginary conversations with Freud” (Salvador Dali, 1993. The Secret Life of Salvador Dalí (Dover Fine Art, History of Art). Reprint Edition. Dover Publications.) accounts later actually meeting Freud, describing the interaction in detail - noting the way “Freud continued to stare” (Salvador Dali, 1993. The Secret Life of Salvador Dalí (Dover Fine Art, History of Art). Reprint Edition. Dover Publications.) silently at Dali whilst he unsuccessfully urged Freud to read some of his personal