A visitor in Barcelona, Spain will notice the plethora of art museums and artists that have left their impression in the city, including Picasso, Gaudi, and Joan Miro. Some of this artwork is portrayed in the unique architecture in Barcelona.
The art museums do not cease in the city limits of Barcelona. To get out of the city and explore the surrounding Spanish towns, Figueres is a convenient day trip to see another art museum.
Figueres is most famous as the place where Salvador Dali was born, where he died in 1989, and where his museum was built in 1974. Figueres and the Salvador Dali Museum are about a two-hour train ride from Barcelona in the northern province of Girona.
Salvador Dali was an Eccentric Artist
Dali was quite an intelligent, eccentric, and egotistical man, also known as an artistic genius. He was quite proud and a bit arrogant about his accomplishments. As if to confirm his arrogance, here is a quote by Salvador Dali himself: "Each morning when I awake, I experience again a supreme pleasure - that of being Salvador Dali."
Here is another favorite quote from the artist: "I don't do drugs, I am drugs." Well, looking at some of his art one would think he actually did take drugs. To create these peculiar images, he allowed much of the subconscious thoughts permeate in his art.
Salvador Dali's Creative Works
His biggest inspiration was Gala, his lover and later wife. She is in many of his paintings and he was quite obsessed with her. Dali was also friends with Sigmund Freud, Joan Miro, and Pablo Picasso. All of these individuals influenced him and made an impact on his work.
As visitors walk through the Salvador Dali Museum, they will see that his art ranges so much it is difficult to place him in a category. Most people are familiar with his paintings that would define him as a surrealist, but he is much more complex than that. Some of his later work focused on his newfound Christian faith and much of his early work included portraits of himself and Gala.
Salvador Dali as a Surrealist Artist
The whole idea surrounding surrealism is the subconscious mind, similar to dreams. There are numerous ideas, symbols, and thoughts portrayed in his art. However, there are some commonalities in his work. Some of the common themes include animals with a hard shell on the outside and soft inside, like snails and lobsters. Another example with this theme is the egg, which is seen in a lot of his work. There are also many eggs portrayed on the roof of his museum and throughout the town of Figueres.
Walking through the museum, visitors will notice some other interesting recurring symbols that are seen in Dali's art. The melting clocks represent the mastery of time and its omnipresence over humans and how it devours itself and everything around it. Grasshoppers are insects that caused fear and contempt for Dali in his life. Elephants with skinny legs represent the future, strength, and the burdens we carry.
In 1938, the Surrealists officially dropped Dali due to his fascination with power, his radical political beliefs, and even his fascination with Adolf Hitler. He was considered a bit of a political fence sitter and that did not fare well with the times. Of course, Salvador Dali's art still continued throughout the decades.
After visiting the museum, it is worth walking around the town to catch glimpses of his art in the local architecture. It is possible to spend as little as an hour in this town or several hours just examining the mysterious artwork of Mr. Salvador Dali.
Julie McElroy - Freelance travel writer with published articles about places all over the world, including Italy, Colorado, Japan, Germany, and Spain.
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