By Brandis Ohlsson
Salvador Dali, favored Spanish surrealist painter was born in the early 20th century in Figueres, Spain. It’s been said that Dali’s greatest work was himself- an oddity at the time, today he would have made one mean fashion blogger.
A fashionable and good-looking man, Dali was known to have an extravagant personality. He wore his moustache twisted and oiled up, like an olden day hipster. For his time, Dali had a rare talent for self-promotion. It could be said that he was one of the first major public figures to understand the importance of branding. He was said to believe that PR was more important than talent, but that was an easy thing for him to say because he was very talented.
Salvador Dali’s parents recognised his talent at a very early age, sending him to his first art school in 1916. Six years later Dali enrolled at the Academia de San Fernando. It is here that Dali really began to explore his unconventional side both fashionably, emotionally, and artistically.
Often referred to as the father of Surrealism, Dali’s most famous work is undoubtedly “The Persistence of Memory”- a painting that features melting clocks. It was speculated for many years what the meaning of the melting clocks may be – many believing there was obviously some deep and surreal meaning. It was revealed however, by Dali on his deathbed, that the painting was actually inspired by a piece of melting cheese.Then of course Lobster Telephone and Mae West Lips Sofa were Dali’s most famous forays into surrealist sculpture.
Lesser known is Dali’s time spent in fashion. Dali was commissioned to create a white dress with a lobster print, a shoe shaped hat, and a pink lips belt, for Italian designer Elsa Schhiaparelli. More known, Dali’s antics with mistress model Amanda Lear.
In his time, Salvador Dali was considered extravagant- today, his extravagance would more than likely be celebrated. After all, brightest are the stars who know how to self promote- right Kim Kardashian?
