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Research Paper On Salvador Dal

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The Dream World of Salvador Dali As the Twentieth Century began, so did the era of Modernism. Seen as a time of change from the traditional past, Modernists rebelled against anything having to do with order in life. New technological advances and new ideas stirred a thirst for freedom in artistic expression, and many artistic movements began. One of these movements, Surrealism, was the basis for some of artist Salvador Dali’s best works. His 1931 painting, “The Persistence of Memory” is one of his best known paintings, reflecting the theme of Dali’s life and that of the Surrealist Movement—living in your dreams. This paper will explore how “The Persistence of Memory” reflects Salvador Dali and how it is an example of art in the spirit …show more content…

It was around the age of ten that he introduced his first drawings. His parents recognized his talent and encouraged his endeavors. Dali eventually began studying art in Madrid. Although he was very talented, he often clashed with his teachers and the other students. He was not always serious about his studies, and often called attention to himself with obscure behavior, long hair, and bizarre clothing. He was even dismissed from the school several times for his rebellious behavior. Dali often shut himself away from others, living in his own imaginative world, and it was this obsession with imagination and dreams, and his associations with Freud, that would later prove beneficial in his …show more content…

The work is small, and consists of a barren landscape composed of land, water, and sky. The sky is barely light, but cliffs can be seen in the distance as the water laps on the edge of the land. On the land, one sees a leafless tree, some sort of box shapes, and seemingly melting clocks, one covered with ants. In the center of the painting, an odd face-like shape appears to be sleeping on the ground. One theory into the meaning of this painting is that the melting clocks represent what happens in life over time, while the face represents Dali himself lost in the movement of time. Dali’s intention was to direct the viewer away from reality and into the dream-like state that he so loved to portray in his works from this

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