The Life of Salvador Dali

The life of Salvador Dali

On the 11th of May 1904, Salvador Dali was born in Figures in Catalonia in Spain. Coincidentally, he actually had an elder brother who was born exactly 9 months before he did. This led to his parents thinking that he was a reincarnation of his elder brother. Dali soon came to believe that as he was constantly told by his parents about this. Hence, he was always treated like a royal. This duo-personality of him and his elder brother have thus cause him to have a unique and distinct behaviour. This particular behaviour was known to have great influence in his artistry.

Although Dali did not excel academically, it seemed as though he knew about his own genius at a very young age. He began painting at the age of 10 and made his more recognisable painting at the age of 13. He discovered the art of modern painting when he was in a vacation with the Pichot family in 1916. A year later, his father arranged his charcoal drawings at his own home for an exhibition. It was in 1919, when Dali had his first public exhibition in Figueres.

Sadly, in 1921, Dali’s mum died of breast cancer. It was describe as the biggest shock of his life. Soon after, Dali had a stepmother. His father had married his own aunt. Certain sources claim that Dali begrudge the marriage.

Dali then moved to Madrid to school at the Academia de San Fernando. It was here when he drew lots of attention from people. He had a unique style of facial hair and also in clothing. He also began experimenting with cubism, thus becoming a campus personality. In 1926, he was expelled from school because he claimed that none of the examiners were good enough to examine him. On that same year, he painted the famous “Basket of bread” and met Pablo Picasso. 2 years later, this painting was showcased at the Carnegie International Exposition in Pittsburgh Pennsylvania. It was his first international showcase. It is wide known that Dali is a surreal painter, however, the ‘basket of bread’...