Salvador Dali, an unusal artist
Born in FIGUERAS in 1904 and deceased in the same town on January 23rd 1989. Between these two dates, the genius of port LLIGAT, atypical artist and typically Catalan, influenced the 20th century and leaves an indelible trace in the history of art and the heritage of Humanity. Mainly known as a painter, although painting represents only 15% of his work, DALI is, most of all, a productive artist in constant creative effervescence and gives a SOUL to whatever passes in his hands or in his brain, such as the famous happening events for ever engraved in the collective memory. He nourrishes all the courants, as well as the ones of fashion, advertisement and Design. He is also writer, scenographer, film director, and the 'actor' the most expensive in the history of Cinema (still valid!).
Dali and the photography
One of his less known talent is the photography. DALI realized before everybody else the intemporal importance of the Photographic Art and its impact on future generations ! From the 20's, he elaborates some postures in front of the camera of his contemporaries such as MAN RAY & HALSMANN… As time goes by, and with an auto-marketing strategy, he creates a character that sparks curiosity and, most of all, a keen interest of international journalists that immortalize the POPE OF SURREALISM in all his splendor!
Salvador DALI is certainly the artist the most photographed in the world. "HE" is the most surrealist creation of his own production! His image on a picture is an "ARTWORK" !!!
In 1975 in Paris, DALI with the sponsoring of NIKON organize his first photo exhibition, with the famous photographer ROBERT DESCHARNES and MARC LACROIX, but back then, only the engravings and lithographs are noticed by the public. It is only in 2004, date of his 100th birthday, that the wortld of Art discovers « DALI PHOTOGRAPHE » and his precious testimony through the decades of the last century, especially with the immortalized 'Fabulous adventure of DON QUICHOTTE' by JOSEPH FORET and the ’APOCALYPSE of SAINT JEAN', which is still an important theme in present time. The POWER of his compositions realized at DRAEGER in 1968, is also the only SURE & REALIST major creation, that illuminates and shines on the contemporary photography activity. DALI is an universal creator and we can never stop discovering his artistic interdisciplinarity.
Text by Jordi Casals.
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