<>Surprisingly Symbolic Salvador

Salvador Dali was a man of mystery. As I “Googled” Dali for my English project at the University of Chapel Hill, I was surprised to find that he more than dabbled in politics, science, and philosophy, in addition to the art that is his claim to fame. His friends described him as eccentric and he was well-known for living his life off the beaten path. In concordance with his unconventional lifestyle and political convictions, Dali joined the artistic surrealist movement soon after its birth in the early 1920s. According to Artcyclopedia, “Surrealism is a style in which fantastical visual imagery from the subconscious mind is used with no intention of making the work logically comprehensible;” Salvador Dali is identified by Artcyclopedia as probably the greatest surrealist artist,” yet Dali’s paintings can be logically interpreted. His surrealist paintings considered just as mysterious as the man himself. But are they really? Are they truly open to interpretation? Dali provided symbols within his paintings that can be logically interpreted. Through the use of symbolism, Dali conveyed his philosophical ideas on the passing of time, his political views, and his interest in science that, contrary to surrealist subjectivity, invoke a logical method of thought from the viewer

Dali’s Persistence of Memory is wrought with symbolism. Although some of the symbols may be open to interpretation, the majority have a single popular, meaning which invoke a logical, methodical thought process from the viewer. The painting conveys four watches, melting like soft cheese- two rest on what appears to be a table, one melts on a tree branch, and the other, in the center, rests on an abstraction of the human face. The clocks melt away, just as time quickly melts away in our own life. The clock in the far left is being devoured by ants, symbolizing how time disappears; a fly has landed on the next clock to the right, portraying the rapid speed of time. In the center, Dali painted a greatly distorted human face that holds up the melting clock, most likely suggesting how the human race must recognize the passing of time and how our lives our directly affected by the ticking clock. Despite some ambiguity over the meaning of the face, the clocks in Dali’s most famous work, Persistence of Memory, make a clear statement about the passing of time. The setting sun in the distance also suggests time passing; Sunsets insinuate, in the 21^st century, as they did in the 20^th century, the end of life and the beginning of darkness (death).

Dali's political views, which were not exactly popular during the 1930s, had a significant effect on his artistic work. Due to his open support of General Francisco Franco, who was leader of the front against the Populace Party and later recognized as Spain’s legitimate ruler by the Nazi regime, Dali was kicked out of the surrealist movement by his fellow artists in 1937. They did not support his ties with authoritarianism or Nazi Germany. According to Robin Adéle Greeley’s article for the Association of Art Historians entitled, Dali’s Fascism; Lacan’s Paranoia, The Weaning of Furniture-Nutrition portrays a wet nurse, sitting on the shore with a night table cut out of her that rests on the side. The skyline in the distance appears tumultuous and the earth tones used throughout the painting invoke a depressing mood. Dali originally painted a swastika on the side of the nurse’s shoulder, which incited great uproar from Dali’s contemporaries. According to Greeley, Dali was accused of holding fascist ideals, unacceptable during a time when a revolution was occurring in Spain in which the populace was overthrowing an authoritarian government. This painting was extremely disturbing to Dali’s contemporaries because Dali was perceived to be making a connection between his bourgeois childhood, by conveying the wet nurse, and Nazi Germany and fascist ideas; Dali’s fellow artists certainly did now want one of their fellow bourgeois class members to associate his upbringing with that of the Nazis. Dali never outwardly chose sides with the revolution in Spain, although his supposed fascist ideals would have sided him with the authoritarian government, but his fellow surrealists did not want one of their own to be associated with fascism at a time when such ideals endangered the lives of many who disagreed with the populace. Dali’s bold placement of the swastika could not have been open to interpretation. Such a symbol, especially during his lifetime, did not leave much to the imagination. The turbulent skyline and dark colors also add to the insinuation of evil. Although simply the presence of the swastika and the depressing setting do not mean that Dali was a fascist, their presence combined with popular sentiment on Dali’s political views at the time allow the viewer to logically deduce that Dali was making a statement about his upbringing with Nazi idealism and was associating himself with authoritarianism.

Dali was both an art and science connoisseur. He held a particular fascination with the double helix, which appeared in many of his paintings, such as Butterfly Landscape, The Great Masturbator in Surrealist Landscape. Although the mere presence of DNA in Dali’s paintings does not hold some deeper meaning, there was a logical reason that the helixes were included in Butterfly Landscape; Contrary to popular surrealism, the painting can be logically interpreted. According to Dali and the Double Helix, written by Elena Guardiola and Joseph E. Banos of the Nature Publishing Company, Dali was interested in everything from quantum physics to the double helix. After reading Watson and Crick’s 1953 article in Nature Magazine regarding DNA, Dali stated, “it is the real proof of the existence of God.” Because Dali associated DNA strands with God, the viewer can assume that his addition of the helix to the otherwise drab landscape suggests the presence of God and creation in the everyday world. <>Dali utilized symbolism in his Galacidalacidesoxyribonucleidacid, a work named after his wife, himself, and DNA. According to Guardiola and Banos, the DNA structure symbolizes life from God, the men shooting guns symbolize death, and God symbolizes life, the three stages that Dali believed to be a part of the human process. Dali used cross-cultural symbolism to represent his ideas to the reader in a clear fashion.

Dali also sought to bring God into the bustle and craziness of life. In his Still Life Fast Moving Dali painted an eclectic piece with everyday objects, such as knives and wine glasses, with a bird flying overhead. At first glance the painting appears to be just a random grouping; a typical surrealist painting left completely up to viewer’s imagination. Yet, according to Guardiola and Banos, spirals, representing the double helix, can be found throughout the painting. Dali was attempting to convey a sense of stability to the viewer in the midst of all the mayhem. Including a symbol that suggested God and his plan for life, Dai was encouraging the reader to seek solace in the steadiness and assurance of a higher power. <>Dali’s Hommage a Crick et Watson displays the faces of both Watson and Crick with the writing “Watson: A Model Builder” and “Crick: Life is a Three Letter Word” written under their respective profiles. Dali was not shy about his admiration of the two and, in the case of this painting, comes write out and spells out his message to the viewer.

In conclusion, Dali was not afraid to portray his ideas about time, politics, or philosophy. Through symbolism, Dali invoked his thoughts to the viewer in a clear manner; even today’s 21^st century laymen browsing an art museum can pick out his melting clocks, turbulent skies, and double-helixes. Dali’s surrealism is not illogical, his symbols still today, as they did nearly 100 years ago, raise a logical interpretation from the viewer.

Works Cited:

Elena Guardiola, Josep-E. Baños “Dali and the Double Helix.” Nature Publishing Company. Volume # 423, 917, (26 June 2003)

Robin Adéle Greeley “Dali’s Fascism; Lacan’s Paranoia.” Association of Art Historians. Blackwell Publishers. Volume # 24, (September 2001).