He painted the Melting Watch: Who is Salvador Dali?

When Dali was born on May 11, 1904, in the city of Figueres, in the Catalonia region of Spain, as the second child of Felipa Domenech Ferres and Salvador Dali i Cusi, his family named him "Salvador Domingo Felipe Jacinto Dali i Domenech". His older brother, who was born in 1901, died of gastrointestinal inflammation on August 1, 1903, exactly 9 months and 10 days before Dali was born. His family gave his brother's name to Dali.

The family could not accept the death of their son at such a young age. This would of course affect Dali the most. Because his family did not get tired of talking about first Salvador next to Dali. Then there was a photograph of him on the wall of their bedroom, and he and Dali often went to visit their deceased son. Dali had such a hard time finding his own identity that he decided that he was actually born through his own body, feeling the shadow of his deceased brother all over him. “We looked alike like two drops of water, but our reflections were different,” he would say years later, adding: “He was probably the first version of me designed to be too absolute”.

He would summarize the psychological reflection of this situation on him with the following sentences:

“As soon as I was born, I started walking in the footsteps of a worshiped dead. In fact, they still loved him when they loved me. Maybe more of him than me. These limits of my father's love have been a great wound for me from the first days of my life”.

The undeniable trauma of the consequences obviously engulfed Dali's body and soul. Perhaps this trauma lay at the root of his recognition by the world as an extraordinary painter. Because after a while, Dali felt so deeply that while mourning the death of his older brother, he forgot the fact that he was another brother, and that he was doing everything to get their attention. The loss of the word "limit" in his life dates back to his childhood.

Dali's meeting with the painting

It must be one of these borderless states, his hysterical behavior was captured somewhere between his theatrical states. This did not go unnoticed by his loving, understanding mother. Maybe he too was not missing a single moment of his dead son who had come back to him. What he didn't realize was that he was just another body and soul.

The softer his mother was, the more stern and authoritative his father was. He was working as a notary public. When Dali was 3 years old, he also had a sister, whom they named Ana Maria. The trauma he experienced and the fact that he was the only boy in the house added a certain spoiledness to his. His mother, aunt, grandmother, caregiver, and all the women of the house were around him.

Living a life under the supervision of women, Dali's mother enrolled him in a private painting school in 1914. Dali was so talented that it wasn't hard for his mother to violate his father's authority. His talent developed further with the training he received. In 1919, Dali opened his first exhibition in the hall of the Figueres Municipal Theater…

First big loss

Dali, who made a very successful start in painting, was determined on his way. However, after a while, he was shaken by his mother's illness. In 1921, Dali suffered his first major loss when his mother died of breast cancer. His biggest supporter, the person who trusted him the most in life, was gone. His father married his aunt shortly after his mother's death.

Dali was going to say these sentences about his mother's death: “It was the biggest blow I have ever taken in my life. I adored him… I could not accept the loss of a being I had always trusted to be able to obscure the inevitable flaws of my soul”.

Early works

Dali was so shaken by his mother's death that he found the solution to concentrate more on painting. He added the idea of leaving and in 1922 he moved to Madrid and enrolled in school there.

He thought it would break new ground in painting. I mean, an extraordinary character like him would definitely think so. His early works were influenced by the French and Swiss origins of cubism and Dadaism. These movements, which were just beginning to form, were not yet heard in Madrid. A little bit of this effect and a lot of Dali's charming talent made him talk a lot.

Madrid brought him friends from the art community. They met filmmaker Luis Buñuel and poet Federico Garcia Lorca, who were also fond of avant-garde art, and soon became friends. On the other hand, his unusual and often exaggerated states continued. In 1923 the school suspended him for lack of discipline. Meanwhile, he participated in anarchist demonstrations in Girona and was arrested.

The school accepted Dali back in 1925. In the same year, he opened his first solo exhibition in Barcelona. The reactions and reviews were fantastic. Critics began to follow him with great surprise and admiration.

His most famous work: The Persistence of Memory

Dali found Picasso so impressive that he finally went to Paris in 1926 and met him. This was a short trip. For the next few years, Dali would always be under the influence of Picasso in his paintings.

After this short trip, Dali returned to his school. But it didn't work, there was a conflict. In the end, he was expelled from school, never to be picked up again. He was soon drafted into the army; His term ended in October 1927.

Art meant the whole of Dali's life. It was a watertight reality in his life. In fact, beyond all artistic concepts, it was the only real thing in his life. Military service was a short break for him. As soon as he returned, he continued his artwork from where he left off. Together with art critics Luis Montanya and Sebastian Gasch, he wrote the Catalan Anti-Art Manifesto in March 1928, in which they advocated modernism and futurism in art.

In 1929, he and his friend Luis Buñuel shot an avant-garde short film that would become synonymous with his name: An Andalusian Dog. They gained an exquisite reputation, especially in the surrealist art scene. With this great fame, he went to Paris for the second time. Here, the painter Joan Miro introduced him to Andre Breton and Paul Eluard, the pioneers of the surrealist movement.

And when 1931 came, Dali was finally writing his most famous immortal work. He called it The Persistence of Memory. Although Dali is interpreted as opposing the concept of solid and unchanging time with this work, which depicts melting pocket watches overlooking a wide beach landscape, Dali would later say that he was inspired by the Camembert cheese melting under the sun in the heat of August to make this painting.

Dali's eternal love

During Dali's second trip to Paris, in 1929, Paul Eluard's wife Gala was among the people he met. He was very surprised that he was so impressed with her. Because women were not of interest to Dali. Childhood traumas linked sexuality and death in his eyes. Yes, the same childhood trauma had fed his art; but inside he was deleting his future. He avoided women and could not imagine a future. Maybe it was the idea of having a child that made him sick.

However, Gala destroyed the castle she built out of all these feelings. Dali was an extraordinary 25-year-old artist and man. Gala, on the other hand, was 10 years older than him and, above all, married. He also had a child. In fact, Gala was just as extraordinary a personality as Dali. It was an “open marriage” with her husband. He had no reason to suppress his intense feelings for Dali. Finally, Gala left her family and went to Dali. The couple, who started living together in 1929, got married in 1934 at a state wedding. In 1958, they would renew their marriage with a Catholic wedding.

However, Gala's free spirit continued to live with her own sense of freedom. First of all, Dali never had a relationship with Gala. Gala also stayed with him with the feelings he had; but she wanted only one thing from him: freedom! Gala continued to be with other men, including her ex-husband. Dali was also devastated every day. Transferring the eternity he grew up inside to his art was his biggest escape. Dali's family and people could not understand or even approve of this marriage. Regardless, at the end of the day, Gala was Dali's wife and the love of his life. This hasn't changed at all. When Gala, 10 years older than Dali, passed away at the age of 83, this interesting relationship had turned 48 years old.

Dali pushing the limits on the fame ladder

Dali opened his exhibition, which created a sensation in America, in New York in 1934. This exhibition brought Dali tremendous fame. Its limitlessness transcended borders. It was now accepted as it was. In 1936, at the London International Surrealist Exhibition, Dali was asked to give a speech. Of course, it was known that he would not appear on stage like everyone else. However, no one wears an old-style, bulky diving suit, a jewel-embroidered wedge on the waist; he couldn't imagine a pool cue in one hand and two barely restrained wolfhounds in the other...

In 1937, he was in Hollywood. He met the most famous comedians of his time, the Marx Brothers, and wrote a movie script for them. In 1938, in London, he met Sigmund Freud, who addressed another area of interest. Like all surrealists, Dali was interested in the expression of the unconscious. He was especially interested in Freud's writings on the subconscious. He admired several portraits of Freud…

Rivalry between surrealists

In 1936 the Spanish Civil War broke out, which plunged all of Spain into chaos. Dali had not considered joining the war. When World War II began, he would show the same attitude and was faced with the criticism of the famous writer George Orwell's "running like a mouse when France is in danger". Dali, on the other hand, would summarize this period years later with the desire to "find a nice place for the oven, where all he thinks about when the European war approaches is to be stuffed when the danger approaches"...

When General Francisco Franco won the victory in 1939, he declared that he supported the newly established fascist regime. Especially to Franco II. When he returned to Catalonia after World War II, he would thank him for clearing Spain of its destructive forces. He also had a greeting: Dali was going to congratulate Franco for the death sentences he issued during this period when he returned to the Catholic faith. Later he would meet him in person and paint Franco's grandmother. It was this attitude that caused the surrealists to turn their backs on Dali. Because the majority of surrealists were Marxists, and the other hand, Dali's efforts to attract attention irritated them very much. He couldn't get over that craving for attention that he had started as a child.

This backflip gradually turned into a fight with every step Dali took. So much so that the leader of the group, Andre Breton, made a scathing anagram from Dali's name with a pun. Avida Dollars was saying; ie Dollar Enthusiast. Dali, on the other hand, replied to this anagram: "Le surrealisme c'est moi!"

Yes, “Surrealism, mine!” said Dali, very confident in himself. There will be no compromise in this conflict; It would last until Dali died one day…

Escape from World War II

In 1940, World War II had begun to affect all of Europe. Dali and his eternal love Gala escaped from this war and settled in America. This escape, which they could not predict how long it would last, would last 9 years.

While the war was still in effect, Dali continued to engage in art. He was about to write his autobiography. In 1942 he named his autobiography "The Secret Life of Salvador Dali". In 1945 and 1946, he worked on the productions of “Destino” with Walt Disney and “Spellbound” with Alfred Hitchcock. In 1947, he painted a surrealist portrait of Picasso, whose influence he always felt.

In 1949, he finally joined the Gala on his left side and returned to Europe. He would settle in his native land, Catalonia, and live there for the rest of his life. However, of course, left-wing artists did not hide their reaction to his living in Spain, and the surrealists' conflict continued.

World War II artifacts

Catholic themes and modern science concepts such as DNA, hypercube, and atomic dissolution would be at the forefront of Dali's works after the war. He first published the "Mystical Manifesto" in 1951. In this work, he synthesized some concepts of Catholicism and modern science…

Speaking of science concepts, Dali was particularly impressed by the power of the atomic bomb that exploded in Hiroshima that he called this period of his life "Nuclear Mysticism". It would not be wrong to say that he was in one of his most productive periods. Dali was trying so many things… Holograms, stereoscopy, optical illusions, and paint splashes were just a few of them.

In 1960, the Mayor of Figueres decided to restore the Municipal Theater as the "Dali Theater and Museum". This housed the hall that hosted Dali's first exhibition and was one of the buildings damaged by the civil war. The construction and decoration of the museum lasted until 1974. Dali personally took care of all business. He adopted this place so much that he continued his little touches until the mid-1980s. This place could be his eternity piece. Because when one entered the museum, one could not help feeling that one was walking around in a Dali painting.

In 1965, Dali donated the crucified Christ to the Rikers Island Prison in New York. This painting was hung in the prison refectory. But in 1981, it would be moved to the lobby and stolen by unidentified people in 2003.

Relationship with science

Although Dali was a surrealist painter, he was also interested in many fields such as photography, sculpture, and film. However, his most special occupation, which he also associated with painting, was science. He was certain, especially after his tremendous excitement at the Hiroshima explosion of 1945. Dali should definitely have brought science together in a painting. However, in the 1950s, he had already forgotten about the atomic bomb and was listening carefully to the "particles" described by the German Physicist Werner Heisenberg. Finally, in 1953, the Journal of Nature published its famous article in issue 171 of Watson and Crick explaining the structure of DNA. Dali was not only impressed by what he read but was fascinated when he saw the double helix structure drawn by Crick's wife, Odile. He expressed his first feeling and thought with the following sentences: "Here! The most important proof is that God exists. DNA is a ladder created by Jacob from genetic angels and the only link between man and God."

After that, DNA was an integral part of Dali. During the next 23 years, he positioned himself everywhere, from his daily life to his art. He believed that the double helix was the basic form of life. He would use this shape in nearly 10 of his paintings…

Use of the DNA helix

"I believe in God, but I am not a believer. Mathematics and science tell me there must be God, but I don't believe it," said Dali.

He painted a painting measuring 3 x 3.5 meters in memory of nearly a thousand people who died or disappeared in the Barcelona flood disaster on September 25, 1962. He called it "Galacidalacidezoxyribonucleic acid." It was quite difficult to pronounce and of course, included a cipher. The table was published in 2002, in Florida, St. His name was to be deciphered in the note next to the painting when it was placed in the Dali Museum by the sea in St. Petersburg.

This name was split into “Gala”, “cid”, “ala” and “deoxyribonucleoside”. Gala symbolized Dali's eternal love. The last word was the clear name of the DNA molecule. It wasn't hard to guess. But looking at other words, “El Cid” was the colloquial name of “Rodrigo Diaz de Vivar”, the national hero of the Spanish who fought against the Berbers in the 11th century. “Ala” is the abbreviation of Allah.

Yes, Dali was drawing attention to the complex relationship between science and religion in his painting. In fact, he aimed to emphasize that both cases are parallel to each other and based on symmetrical foundations. In the painting, which consists of 5 open and 1 hidden image, DNA double helix was found in several parts of the picture and symbolized life.

Of course, Dali also wrote other works on such subjects. However, he also thought that the DNA helix was similar to the relationship he always had with his wife, Gala. He said, "These two halves, which fit together perfectly like Gala and me, open and close without fail. Life is based on the absolute rule of deoxyribonucleic acid, it decides heredity"...

Dali also took a special interest in Mathematics in the 1980s. Mathematical symbols also took their place on their plates; Now he wanted to express his philosophy of life with Mathematics. But he never gave up on DNA…

Dali's unusual aspects

Dali was an extraordinary man in every moment of his life. Even the way he fell asleep was included. Ever since he can't remember when it started, Dali has been taking a silver spoon first, then hanging his arm down and sleeping like that. Before he did that, he had been staring at the blank canvas in front of him for hours. Whenever the spoon fell from his hand, the sound would wake him up. That was the time he felt most creative…

Another eccentric feature was the form of account payment. After eating at a restaurant, Dali was paying the bill with a drawing on the back of the check sheet. Yes, on the front of the check was the amount due, perhaps even more. He also loved to invite large groups of friends to dinner. These checks with a picture on the back could not be cashed; but on the other hand, a drawing by Dali was already priceless. Although you may have heard that other very famous artists have done this as well. However, the starting point of this legend was Dali...

Dali would have been following the same logic, that he was paying his secretaries' salaries with paintings bearing his signature instead of money. These people became rich with these paintings that were valued over time…

Another interesting thing, and I think the most interesting thing, is that once Dali loaded a white Rolls Royce Phantom II car with 500 kilograms of cauliflower. It was December 1955. This is how Dali drove the car from Spain to Paris. “Everything ends in cauliflower,” he said when speaking to an audience of 2,000. Finally, he clarified this cauliflower issue in an interview. Dali was interested in cauliflower because it had a logarithmic curve and wanted it to attract attention.

Also, another interesting thing that cannot go without saying is that while everyone kept cats and dogs, Dali's pet was an anteater...

Dali's second major destruction

On June 10, 1982, Dali bid farewell to his eternal love, Gala. The anvils that had struck the ground seven times from the sky were now ringing in his ears. Gala had become his everything, not just his love; she was his manager, she was the model, she was the muse...

This was the second major devastation in Dali's life after his mother. He felt as if all his will for life had been withdrawn from his blood. He settled in Pubol Castle, where Gala died and was buried. It was almost a seclusion. In July, King Juan Carlos of Spain proclaimed Dali Marquess of Pubol. Dali responded to the king's gesture by presenting him with his drawing, which he called the "Head of Europe".

When he painted his painting "The Tail of the Sparrow" in 1983, Dali was unaware that he was giving his last work in this castle. In August 1984, in the fire that broke out in the castle for an unknown reason, Dali was injured in his leg. Upon this event, he returned to Figueres and began to live in the "Salvador Dali Theater and Museum", which was restored in his name.

Salvador Dali died

In his life, Dali was undoubtedly most interested in science, apart from painting. At the age of 81, he crowned this interest with a congress he called "Coincidence in Nature", which he organized in Figueres, where he was born. However, being too ill to get up, Dali was able to watch the footage of the closed-circuit television cameras. Almost all of the speakers were Nobel Prize winners. Among the audience were famous artists and philosophers, along with important names of the scientific world.

When he passed away from heart failure on January 23, 1989, 3 years after this congress, there were books by two physicists and a mathematician: Stephen Hawking, Erwin Schrödinger, and Mattila Ghyka.

This time Dali did not hear the sound of the spoon falling to the ground. This would be his first sound sleep. He was buried in the cellar of the museum that bears his name in Figueres and was left to his eternal sleep…

Of course, every person has many extraordinary features and is special. Dali was just showing that to the world. He simply left this world, where he lived an extraordinary life, with more than 1500 paintings and many other works of art he left behind. A Salvador Dali, who took every step of his own, and who was full of love for cauliflower and anteater after Gala, passed from this world...

It's good that…