Hallucinogenic Toreador Essay

Dali employs a “concrete irrationality” surrealist style giving us the illusion of realism. Design is precise, using symmetrical perspective employing a geometrical figure’s composition. The painting is well balanced. Presence of the light coming from the northeast gives a sense of a natural landscape. The light and shadow relationship “pops the elements out” and creates contrast. The pain of war is expressed by the grotesque mutating human body ripping itself apart with the anguishing facial expression.

A new wave study on hallucinogens, and other mind-altering substances, was organized to address whether these

The museum I chose to visit was the Dali Museum mainly because I have been wanting to check it out since I first moved down here to Florida three years ago. My sister has always been a huge Salvador Dali fan and even has a tattoo of his painting titled “The Elephants” on her side. I am looking forward to experiencing more of his paintings other than his most popular works of art. I am also hoping this experience will give me a greater appreciation for him as an artist by seeing the diversity of his works. What I am least looking forward to is trying to find one work of art that really stands out to me enough to write this paper about. I am sure I am going to find multiple pieces of art that I will love.

Throughout human history people have sought experiences that somehow transcend every day life. Some sort of wisdom that might progress their knowledge of self and of the world that they live in. For some reason they believed that the tangible world just could not be all there is to life. Some believed in a greater force that controlled them, some believed of invisible beings that influenced their lives, some of an actual other world that paralleled their own. Many of these people also believed that it was possible to catch a glimpse of these forces, beings, or worlds through a variety of means that propel individuals into altered states of consciousness. These techniques include

These substances are in turn broken down in the body into a great many more

Throughout the Mexican revolution, songs from northern Mexico emerged telling stories of heroism and defeat. Moreover, these corridos, translated into English meaning ballads, were influenced by 14th-century romantic Spanish notes. Further, these ballads, commonly performed by individuals who lack formal musical training and embrace the use of the accordion and tuba in the melody (Madrid 2013, 92). The result of these factors is a musical genre considered unrefined and unsophisticated by most of Mexico until the music’s growth in popularity in the 1970s.

“Psychoactive substances exert their their effects by modifying biochemical or physiological processes in the brain.” Psychedelics are taken out of context to be for recreational use only, when they can be taken to enhance spiritual journeys.

Dali uses light and shadows to evoke a dreamlike state of perception. In the background we see two tiny rocks, one in the shadows and one in the light while everything in the foreground is engulfed in shadow. The only other things that are in the light are the ocean and the craggy rock structure. Clearly, a majority of the painting is engulfed in shadow. This dichotomy between light and shadow represents the difference between conscious and unconscious perception, between certainty and uncertainty. Since a majority of the painting is consumed by shadow, Dali is implying that humans can barely be certain about their conscious perception. Alternatively, Dali could be using the light as a symbol of hope and certainty that is largely overwhelmed by the uncertainty created when humans attempt to fully understand and control their surroundings.

I really enjoy the bold lines and bright colors in this piece. It appears very balanced while taking up the entire canvas. The figures in the painting are bulky and well defined. If you look at the painting, at every aspect of it, you can imagine the story Diego was trying to tell. In my mind, the priest is carrying the white calla lilies representing the Savior’s light. The bundles of red flowers laying all around may be representative of bloodshed or simply the hardships of the people. The light is coming to save them all. The three kneeling girls in the front are imploring aid from the Savior. The bright colors are used to counter the times where everything was bleak for them.

The painting shows man and nature in harmony. A clear sign that he focused mostly on drawing is the geometric forms used in the painting. He used very calm tonality to give it the calmness. His artwork and brushwork are very fluid and focused. This painting has no historical meaning because this painting was after his transition from historical to landscape. Instead of telling a story it is supposed to evoke a calm mood. The golden light contributes to its peacefulness. Now that I have explained both paintings individually, in the following paragraph I will talk about their differences and what makes them different.

This painting depicts the scene from the Bible known as the last supper, where Jesus and his twelve disciples ate their last meal together before Jesus died. Dali is not the only artist to paint this famous scene, Leonardo Da Vinci, along with many other artists, created their own version as well. The difference is that Dali used his surrealism background to create this scene in a completely unique way. Instead of painting the twelve disciples of Jesus as individuals, Dali painted them symmetrically so that each man had another mirroring the same pose across the table. This element, along with placing the setting of the last supper in a dodecagon and showing the beautiful background, creates a calm and peaceful environment for the disciples to pray. Dali also created two focal points in this painting, while most artists tend to only choose one. The floating torso is obviously the surrealist element of this painting, but also completes the message that Dali is communicating. Though the three elements, symmetry, setting and focal points, Dali created a completely unique rendition of the last

Salvador Dali is one of the most famous surrealist artists. His artwork is fascinating to look at and analyze. All of his work is very imaginative, rendered at a high level of realism, and is filled with extensive symbolism. First I will talk about the history of Surrealism, then how Dali studied and admired Sigmund Freud's theories which greatly influenced his art, he used Sigmund Freud’s psychoanalytic theory of dream interpretation to invent a technique for his work, and then using this technique he painted his bizarre dreams.

Hallucinogens are drugs that will cause the user to hallucinate, or see and hear things that are not really there. Unfortunately, these drugs are fairly easy to get a hold of, and teenage kids are taking advantage of that. Teenagers are abusing hallucinogens and this is a problem, because this will have an effect on the next generation.

The landscape and gestures are symmetrical and balanced such as their feet, hands, and facial expressions are all equally proportioned. Throughout this composition there are geometrical shapes which are recognizable such as circles, ovals, and rectangles which are all natural forms. The utilities used to create this work of art have more benefits than drawbacks. Canvases and oil paints are easier to depict mythical and heroic figures effectively because the paint can be applied thick which makes blending of colours easier to achieve. The linseed or walnut oil dries very slowly thus making it simple to revise the image. In addition, canvases are light and retain a glossy surface. The only challenge is to keep the brush strokes to a minimum, but the trace of an artist’s brush stroke like the one in this painting accentuated movement and naturalism.

Although visual art is looked upon differently by all, everyone has a either a favorite piece or at least something that catches their eye. Personally, I don’t have a piece of art that I would label my absolute favorite, but during a Spanish research project found that Salvador Dali’s work really stood out. “The Persistence of Memory” painted in 1931 by Dali, a highly renowned surrealist painter, is among the most interesting works I have ever seen. Even though the painting itself is rather simple in quality at first glance, what Dali’s must have been thinking about while creating this work is strikingly complex. The painting is attractive to me because it deals with the concept of time, something