Author Description

Flamboyant, egocentric, enigmatic - these qualities describe the extraordinary Spanish artist Salvador Dali (1904-1989), whose ingenious talent, layered with virtuosity and technical brilliance, was rivaled only by his unforgettable personality.<br/>This illustrated survey presents seventy-four brilliant, full-color reproductions of work from an astonishing career, beginning with canvases rarely seen - Dali's earliest paintings done while still in his teens. Although he worked in many styles - realist, abstract, Cubist - he is most often thought of as a leader in the Surrealist movement of the 1920s and '30s. Indeed, the words Surrealism and Dali are almost synonymous, despite his stormy split from the movement to launch his own style, portraying an imagined world of symbols projecting visions steeped in sexual and religious images.<br/>Organized under chapter headings that suggest the intriguing content of Dali's work - such as Ego and Memory, Painted Deliriums, Paradoxical Images, and Edible Beauty - this book offers concise comments on each colorplate, providing insights into the phantasmagoric world conjured up by the man who publicized his art as being of "myself - the great Dali!"<br/>In addition to his prodigious output of paintings, drawings, and graphics, Dali also created theater, opera, and ballet sets, was a pioneer in Surrealist filmmaking, illustrated numerous books, wrote an autobiography and a novel, and designed fashion and jewelry. Two magnificent, whimsical examples of the latter are included here.