Synopses & Reviews
The infamous surrealist: A genius with a right to indulge in whatever lunacy popped into his head Picasso called Dalí "an outboard motor that’s always running." Dalí thought himself a genius with a right to indulge in whatever lunacy popped into his head.
Painter, sculptor, writer, and film maker, Salvador Dalí (1904–1989) was one of the century’s greatest exhibitionists and eccentrics – and was rewarded with fierce controversy wherever he went. He was one of the first to apply the insights of Sigmund Freud and psychoanalysis to the art of painting. Dalí brought extraordinary sensitivity, imagination, and concern for precision to bear upon submerged levels of consciousness.
This lively biography presents the infamous Surrealist Dalí in full colour and in his own words. His provocative ideas are all here, from the soft watches to the notorious burning giraffe. And the fantastic phenomenon that was Salvador Dalí is grasped entire and placed in its various contexts.
Synopsis
Lobsters and lunacy: The zaniest Surrealist of them all Painter, sculptor, writer, film-maker, and all-round showman
Salvador Dali (1904-1989) was one of the
twentieth century's greatest exhibitionists and eccentrics. One of the first artists to apply the insights of
Freudian psychoanalysis to art, he is celebrated in particular for his surrealist practice, with such conceits as the
soft watches or the
lobster telephone, now hallmarks of the surrealist enterprise, and of modernism in general.
Dali frequently described his paintings as "hand-painted dream photographs." Their tantalizing tension and interest resides in the
precise rendering of bizarre elements and incongruous arrangements. As Dali himself explained, he painted with "the most imperialist fury of precision," but only "to systematize confusion and thus to help discredit completely the world of reality."
Revolutionizing the role of the artist, the mustache-twirling Dali also had the intuition to parade a
controversial persona in the public arena and, through printmaking, fashion, advertising, writing, and film, to create work that could be consumed and not just contemplated on a gallery wall.
This book explores both the painting and the personality of Dali, introducing his technical skill as well as his provocative compositions and challenging themes of death, decay, and eroticism.
About the Series: Each book in TASCHEN's Basic Art series features:
- a detailed chronological summary of the life and oeuvre of the artist, covering his or her cultural and historical importance
- a concise biography
- approximately 100 illustrations with explanatory captions
Synopsis
Painter, sculptor, writer, filmmaker, and all-round showman Salvador Dal (1904-1989) was one of the 20th century's greatest exhibitionists and eccentrics. One of the first artists to apply the insights of Freudian psychoanalysis to art, he is celebrated in particular for his surrealist practice, with such conceits as the soft watches or the lobster telephone, now hallmarks of the surrealist enterprise, and of modernism in general.
Dal frequently described his paintings as "hand-painted dream photographs." Their tantalizing tension and interest resides in the precise rendering of bizarre elements and incongruous arrangements. As Dal himself explained, he painted with "the most imperialist fury of precision," but only "to systematize confusion and thus to help discredit completely the world of reality."Revolutionizing the role of the artist, the mustache-twirling Dal also had the intuition to parade a controversial persona in the public arena and, through printmaking, fashion, advertising, writing, and film, to create work that could be consumed and not just contemplated on a gallery wall.
This book explores both the painting and the personality of Dal , introducing his technical skill as well as his provocative compositions and challenging themes of death, decay, and eroticism.
About the series
Each book in TASCHEN's Basic Art series features:
a detailed chronological summary of the life and oeuvre of the artist, covering his or her cultural and historical importance
a concise biography
approximately 100 illustrations with explanatory captions
Synopsis
Painter, sculptor, writer, filmmaker, and all-round showman Salvador Dal (1904-1989) was one of the 20th century's greatest exhibitionists and eccentrics. One of the first artists to apply the insights of Freudian psychoanalysis to art, he is celebrated in particular for his surrealist practice, with such conceits as the soft watches or the lobster telephone, now hallmarks of the surrealist enterprise, and of modernism in general.
Dal frequently described his paintings as "hand-painted dream photographs." Their tantalizing tension and interest resides in the precise rendering of bizarre elements and incongruous arrangements. As Dal himself explained, he painted with "the most imperialist fury of precision," but only "to systematize confusion and thus to help discredit completely the world of reality."
Revolutionizing the role of the artist, the mustache-twirling Dal also had the intuition to parade a controversial persona in the public arena and, through printmaking, fashion, advertising, writing, and film, to create work that could be consumed and not just contemplated on a gallery wall.
This book explores both the painting and the personality of Dal , introducing his technical skill as well as his provocative compositions and challenging themes of death, decay, and eroticism.
About the Author
Gilles Néret (1933-2005) was an art historian, journalist, writer and museum correspondent. He organized several art retrospectives in Japan and founded the SEIBU museum and the Wildenstein Gallery in Tokyo. He directed art reviews such as L'Œil and Connaissance des Arts and received the Elie Faure Prize in 1981 for his publications. His TASCHEN titles include Salvador Dalí: The Paintings, Matisse, and Erotica Universalis.