Salvador Dali Influences

Born in Figueres, Spain to a strict father and pious mother, Salvador Dali was the second-born of three children. Their first child—his older brother—was also named Salvador, but unfortunately passed away soon after birth. Consequently, Dali thought of himself as a “reincarnation;” the pictures of his brother that hung on the walls also contributed to this notion. These events prompted an identity crisis that led to the creation of an extravagant, eccentric, and rebellious persona. Despite his rough childhood, much of what he went through had a positive influence on the man he eventually became.

Salvador Dali was “the master of the outrageous” and the pioneer of Surrealism. At a very young age he had mastered various forms of art and would constantly look for opportunities to improve the unimprovable. He quickly became dissatisfied when he was not receiving the attention he anticipated. When introduced to the Surrealists, he seized this opportunity to further his grandiosity. This would allow Dali to showcase his fascinations, while creating controversy to gain him notoriety. Surrealism also serves as an illustration of Freud’s theory of the unconscious mind; Proven by the prevalence of symbolism and

He is one of a kind, possessing an incomparable imagination and extraordinary abilities. Although uncertainty is not a rare feeling, his obscure artwork is like no other. In fact, the bizarre nature of his art has a very unique effect: our feelings are being manipulated by a painting, no less. How he achieved this kind of control using nothing more than a canvas and brush is beyond me. The way he quickly perfected something so many artists spend lifetimes trying to grasp, is simply astounding. His talents were not limited to nightmarish masterpieces, as he had pursued a variety of artistic endeavors—especially during his early years—before finding his true