Salvador Dali Belief System Essay Example for Free

Salvador Dali Belief System EssaySalvador Dali Explore and analyse the metamorphosis of Dalis belief system through his nontextual matter Salvador Dali was an artist cognise not only for his tremendous exquisite talent and flamboyant and eccentric personality, but as well as for the greater meaning he entwined into his art. His contrasting beliefs write d birth-emitting diode to an interesting metamorphosis of his belief system. Dali struggled between righteousness and perception, due to conflicting family influences from his childhood and personal experiences which he would go on to endeavour in life. Dalis initial works commenced by experimenting specifically with scientific themes and ideas, which washstand be noted in nonpareil his most famous ho office depictions The Persistence of Memory (1931). heretofore as his life progressed, Dalis new reincarnated interest in religion, mysticism and metaphysics led him to believe that religion and science co-exist simultan eously, which he portrayed through his artwork. Dali developed conflicting views regarding religion from a very unripened age. The artist grew up in a household where his mothers family were devout Catholics however his fuck off was a firm atheist.Dalis early views on religion were explicitly expressed in his draft Sometimes I spit with Pleasure on the Portrait of my Mother (The Sacred shopping centre) (1929). This abstract themed swig of what appears to be the silhouette of Jesus Christ is incredibly blasphemous. The hand written Parfois Je crache pour plaisir sur la enactment de ma mere literally translates to Sometimes I spit with pleasure on the portrait of my mother. The drawing is done in b privation ink on a plain clean canvas. This elemental colour scheme proves to be very momentual, as it delivers the message very clearly and graphically.However, the simple nature of this particular drawing reflects what artists and literary figures from previous gene proportionali tyns would have potentially branded as a simple and earthly mind due to the lack of belief in religion and ones higher self. The style of writing could almost be associated with the types of print associated with cartoons. This just further reflects the lack of unassumingness on Dalis behalf. On the drawing, the words ma mere are specifically written in a bolder and larger size compared to the rest of the sentence.This effect makes these two words stand out in particular, emphasising Dalis abhorrence towards his mothers belief system. The small drawing in the centre of the silhouette with the Christian symbol of the cross defends Dalis version of The Sacred Heart. This heart which he has careworn appears to be a very modify heart. According to Christian beliefs, The Sacred Heart is a pious name employ by Catholics to refer to the physical heart of Jesus Christ, as a symbol of divine love.The devotion especially emphasizes the unmitigated love, compassion, and long-suffering o f the heart of Christ towards humanity. By illustrating this Sacred Heart as deformed, Dali atrociously insulted his mothers beliefs. This scandalous portrayal of the priesthood clearly reflects how Dali and his father viewed the priesthood as severely corrupted, ignorant and hypocritical. The deformed heart reinstates how he thought the Catholic Church had deformed views, beliefs and a deformed lifestyle.Dali was an artist who formed part of the Surrealism movement. In the surrealist period, I wanted to create the iconography of the interior instauration the world of the marvellous, of my father Freud. I succeeded in doing it. Today the exterior world that of physics has transcended the one of psychology. My father nowadays is Dr Heisenberg (Salvador Dali, quoted in Elliott H. King, Nuclear Mysticism, Salvador Dali Liquid Desire, p. 247). The artists from the surrealist era introduced the theory of the liberation of desire through the intention of techniques that aimed to rep roduce the mechanisms of dreams (Centre Pompidou, 2007).From a very young age, Dali was an avaricious learner of science and extensively read many another(prenominal) books on geometry, mathematics, optical science, physics and natural history. Dali extensively studied and experimented with the Freudian theories on dreams and the unconscious. Several surrealist artists move to hypnotism and drugs to delve into the dream world, where they looked for unconscious images that were not available in the conscious world, and Dali was an artist who was known for doing so (Art History Archive, n. d. ). The most famous painting associated with Dali is The Persistence of Memory, which was completed in 1931.This painting perfectly expresses Dalis intense fascination and interest with the world of science, in particular modern physics. Albert brainiac proved to be a strong influence and inspiration for Dali. Dalis ubiquitous thirst for science and modern physics naturally drew him to Einstein s idea of relativity from the early 1900s. This painting primarily focuses on the theme of time and the idea that time is relative, not fixed. There are 3 clocks, which appear to be melting, drooping and fluid in movement. These clocks re award that time is irrelevant, especially during sleep.However, the one watch on the desk appears to be normal yet closed, with ants crawling all over it. These ants are a subtle theme in the painting, suggesting that they are drawn to the decaying of time, as if it were like rotting flesh (The Museum of new(a) Art). The colour scheme which Dali uses, is a scheme found in many of his other paintings. The use of the vulgar act upon such(prenominal) as brown, yellow and dismal to portray sandy beaches and a s glistenly busted coastline, resemble imagery which he had been exposed to as a child in Port Lligat.The use of these earthy colours and delineations of nature in a raw yet calm form brings slightly a sense of grounding to the painting, which contrasts to the dreamy ideologies which were commonly introduced by Surrealist painters, in particular Dali. In addition, Dali uses contrasting shading and light in this painting. The left half of the painting appears to be under a darker light and shady, whereas the right hand side of the painting appears to be brighter and exposed to sunlight.This subtle detail suggests that these two halves could represent the sub-conscious mind and the conscious mind. In the painting, the drooping, flexible clocks are placed within the darker shaded part of the painting, representing the subconscious mind mind and the dream world. However, the conscious part of the painting, which appears to be lit by sunlight, suggests that in reality, there is light at the end of the tunnel. This part of the painting also doesnt enclose any of the clocks, which further emphasises Dalis belief that in reality, time is definitely relative.Whilst in America during the 1940s Dali experienced a invoke in a ttitudes and began to reinvent himself. Despite the hatred he had for the Catholic Church during his younger years, Dali found himself exploring and returning(a) to his mothers belief system. Dali reinvented his art to explore and combine psychology, science and religion. This urge to explore his spectral roots came from his research regarding Spanish mystics, who believed that science, art and religion can be expressed and proved as one.During this time, Dali came to know of the mathematician Matila Ghyka, whose works related to the golden mean, a harmonious proportion known to the Ancient Greeks and present in both nature and art. It was through this mathematician, that Dali came to learn of this unique and beautiful proportion. Dali was convinced that Ghyka had solved the conundrum of geometrical composition and used a transcription of his golden mean composition diagram as an inspiration for many of his compositions ( The Dali Dimension DVD).Dali incorporated the use of the g olden mean in many of his works, such as The service of the shoemakers last Supper (1955). In mathematics and art, two quantities are the golden ratio if the ratio of the sum of the quantities to the large quantity is equal to the ratio of the larger quantity to the smaller one. This proportion has been used in the form of the golden rectangle since the renaissance era by many artists, and is believed to be the most aesthetically pleasing. Dali was heavily inspired and influenced by artists from the renaissance era and therefore incorporated the golden rectangle in his own works too.The ratio of the dimensions of Dalis painting Sacrament of the Last Supper is equal to the golden ratio. Dali incorporated into the painting a huge dodecahedron (with each side being a pentagon) engulfing the supper table. According to Plato, the dodecahedron was the solid which the god used for embroidering the constellations on the whole heaven, and is intimately related to the golden ratio both the surface area and the volume of a dodecahedron of unit edge length are simple functions of the golden ratio.In the painting The Sacrament of the Last Supper, Dali uses daring presentation. He successfully modernises a traditional and religious scene. The painting has an intense clarity to it, where the swing stroke artifacts that are barely visible give the image an even more meticulous lineament to it. Dali presents Christ without any facial hair, which proves to be an extremely rare portrayal albeit a very effective one which modernises Christ.The use of the chapel like setting through the use of modern architecture removes this scene from an ancient biblical time in history, replacing and bringing it to what possibly could be the present. The three-dimensional effect which Dali incorporates proves to be alluring and only exemplifies the modern feel of the scene this painting. By using the three-dimensional affect, Dali could also be hinting at an ethereal dimension of spiritual ity. The colour scheme which Dali uses consists mainly of celestial shades of blue and soft hues of gold and white.Dali continues the beautifully spiritual theme with the body of Christ. The body is emphasised by the lack of a head, with his arms stretched over the Apostles symbolising that Christ offered himself up, however the Apostles are a metaphor for the mystic and metaphysical body of Christ. Dali seems to be the perfect match to create a modern-day painting of The Sacrament of the Last Supper, since he seemed to express a genuine understanding of the supernatural whilst having the uncanny ability to successfully merge modern science and religion in his work.Dalis painting Meditative Rose (1958) charmingly indicates a sense of profound, peaceful serenity and completion in Dalis life, in particular his family with his married woman Gala, with whom he had an unconventional yet fulfilling and committed relationship with. The large, beautiful rose is unique and bear on and pro vides the main focus of the painting. The rose is synonymous with the female form and is blusterd as a musical theme and metaphor for a sexual symbol in many of Dalis other works.The rose bears a dual symbolism, which could represent Mary the mother of Jesus, as well as Dalis beloved wife Gala. Dalis positioning of the huge beautiful red rose hovering in the sky with a distich standing below it, promotes a sense of ambiguity and awe. The style which Dali has used is a unique ruffle of realism and dream-like fantasy. The tiny drop of water on the rose petal insinuates a realistic feature however it can also infer a reference to holy water, implying that everyones life can have an auspicious element to it.The distinctive Spanish landscape which blends a range of earthy colours such as shades of yellow, orange and brown promote a sense of unity and variety. Dali potently disliked war and conflict, he painted this painting over a decade after the encourage World War had ended ther efore the peaceful qualities of this painting reflect his own personal mad state as well as the condition of the community too. The rose is known for its medicinal and exercise set properties and perhaps by using this precious plant a motif, Dali aimed to promote healing through his art work.The journey for Dali to balance the struggle between religion and science proved to be empirical yet highly enriching and beneficial for him. Despite growing up with immense hatred towards Catholicism and religion, Dali turned to Spanish mysticism and metaphysics and proved that science and religion can perfectly complement one another. Through his artwork, his intense expression along with his meticulous technique and exploration of challenging yet intriguing themes, perfectly steer the journey and metamorphosis of his belief system.