Spanish Surrealism: The Works of Salvador Dalí

Catalog description

The Spanish painter Salvador Dalí (1904-1983) is the most recognizable figure in the Surrealist movement. In the public eye he was considered at times the embodiment of the movement itself. Dalí responded with a high dosage of histrionics by cultivating an extravagant public persona. However, this public image often obscures the importance of his seminal contributions to the avant-garde movement. Dalí is arguably one of the most serious and interesting thinkers and theorists of the avant-garde movement during the 1930's and 1940's. He is also one of the most important painters of the movement, and his contributions to contemporary art are irreplaceable. In this course we will read his written work and we will study and analyze his paintings trying to uncover constant topics, motifs, obsessions, etc.