Salvador Dalí

Salvador Dali was a prominent artist from Spain during the 20th century. He is best known for his surrealist paintings, which depict bizarre and visually striking scenes. Along with his surrealist drawings and paintings, Dali also developed a repertoire in film, sculpture and photography. At a young age Dali was characterized as having an expansive imagination, which often led him to partake in grandiose and eccentric behaviors. Critics would later joke that his behavior attracted more attention than his art work at times. Regardless, Dali constructed works both in his youth and later in his life that reflected mastery. In his final year of art school Dali was expelled because he claimed that none of the faculty members were competent enough to asses him. Largely influenced by Picasso and Cubism, Dali continued to draw using a mix of classical and modernist techniques. Shortly after his departure from art school, Dali grew his notorious and flamboyant mustache. Dali received much attention for his works, which led to an invitation to speak at the London International Surrealist Exhibition. His speech was entitled "Authentic Paranoid Ghosts" and was accompanied with Dali dressed in a deep sea diving suit, lead by a pair of Russian wolf hounds. He claimed that the suit represented the overall idea of his speech, in which he was attempting dive deep into the subconscious of the mind. Unlike Vincent van Gogh, who lived in poverty in order to create his works of art, Dali had an affinity for money. He was coined with nickname "Avida Dollars" (eager for dollars). Following are a few of his paintings and drawings: