Dali: the painter who mastered madness

11 May 2007 - 02:00
By unknown

On this day in 1904 Surrealist artist Salvador Dali was born. "Mistakes are almost always of a sacred nature. Never try to correct them. On the contrary, rationalise them, understand them thoroughly. After that, it will be possible for you to sublimate them," he said. He was both imaginative and controversial, with wild eyes and a handlebar moustache. He was known for his eccentricity and once described as "living just this side of madness". "The only difference between me and a mad man is that I am not mad," he said. The master of Surrealism allowed his "hand-painted dream photographs" to delve into the subconscious. His best known work is The Persistence of Memory (1931), which depicted three melting watches, all stopped at different times, hanging over various objects in an eerily calm landscape.

On this day in 1904 Surrealist artist Salvador Dali was born. "Mistakes are almost always of a sacred nature. Never try to correct them. On the contrary, rationalise them, understand them thoroughly. After that, it will be possible for you to sublimate them," he said. He was both imaginative and controversial, with wild eyes and a handlebar moustache. He was known for his eccentricity and once described as "living just this side of madness". "The only difference between me and a mad man is that I am not mad," he said. The master of Surrealism allowed his "hand-painted dream photographs" to delve into the subconscious. His best known work is The Persistence of Memory (1931), which depicted three melting watches, all stopped at different times, hanging over various objects in an eerily calm landscape.

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