Brandon Bischoff

Artist Report

Download this form to your computer and fill in the answers.

Note: ​No credit​ will be given if you do not use this form and format.

Objective: Investigate the artist whose work inspires you to replicate his/her style.

Personal life

Name of Artist: Salvador Dali

Birth Date: May 11th, 1904

Birth Place: Figueras, Catalonia, Spain

What later life events (marriage, children, deaths, etc.) had a major influence on the
artist? (Your response should be a minimum of 100 words and complete sentences.)

When Salvador Dali was first born his parents believed he was a “reincarnation of his
older brother” who had passed away as a toddler about nine months before Dali was born.
His brother had also been named Salvador, and Dali was indeed led to believe that he was
his rebirth. By age thirteen he was attending drawing school, and in 1922 he went on to
study at the School of Fine Arts in San Fernando. He was expelled after not too long for
claiming that nobody was qualified to test him just before final exams. After being
expelled, Dali met Pablo Picasso and Joan Miro in Paris, two artists who would have a
heavy influence on his painting. He would later start a relationship in 1929 with a woman
named Gala, who he would later marry. According to WikiArt.org, Dali lost the desire to
live after his wife’s death in 1982, and nearly dehydrated himself to death. Furthermore,
there was a fire in his apartment building in 1984 in which he was rescued and survived,
but many suspected was an unsuccessful suicide attempt. Dali would eventually pass
away five years later due to heart failure at age 84.

Time Period

Describe what prevailing style of art was popular when the artist first started? (Your
description should be at least three complete sentences in length.)
When Salvador Dali was born in 1904 Post-Impressionism was starting to come to an
end, and give way to Cubism, which was arguably one of the most important and
influential art movements of the 20th century. Post-Impressionism can be understood as a
response the the Impressionist period and included a diverse amount of artwork and
styles; however they were all united in the rejection of the naturalistic portrayal of colors
and objects in Impressionist work. Cubism was an early 20th century movement which
abandoned single perspective pieces, and instead used geometric shapes, planes, and
collages to compile their piece. Cubism opened the door for Dali to set the way with
Surrealism.

What ‘new’ style did the artist start, or get involved in?

Although Dali assimilated many different styles in his early career, he was most
recognized for his contributions to the Surrealism Movement, and is arguably the most
famous Surrealist painter.

What important historical events happened during the artist’s lifetime that influenced one
or more pieces? (Your response should be a minimum of 100 words and complete
sentences.)

If we aren’t talking about his personal life, and we are speaking strictly from a historical
perspective, the 1940s brought on a series of changes for Dali and his artwork. The Civil
War in Spain ended in the late 1930s, but there was another war brewing. Before the
Nazi’s invaded France, Dali and Gala fled to the United States, where he already had a
reputation. In 1945 when atomic bombs were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki Dali
began a new area of exploration in his artistic career. In particular, he became fascinated
with modern science and physics, and tried incorporating this into his work. Furthermore,
he was drawing inspiration much more specifically from the classical style of the Italian
Renaissance. Dali called this style “Nuclear Mysticism”.

Select one piece that your artist did

Name of the piece: The Face of War

Copy and paste your artist’s painting here:

What is it about?

This painting was done in California at the end of 1940, which means it is much more
likely that the painting was more heavily influenced by the Spanish Civil War because
World War II had not yet progressed to the horrors captured in this painting. Depicted in
the picture is what resembles a cadaver head and within the eye sockets and mouth is
another set of cadaver heads. This pattern repeats to create a sense of infinite death. \

Why did you choose this piece? (Two or more complete sentences, minimum)

I chose this piece because it really caught my eye when I saw it, and it wasn’t his most
famous piece. Furthermore, I think this piece gives a little more insight into the
motivations behind his sometimes grave depictions. It is often said that his artistic
endeavors were often thought to be “premonitions of war”.

Name ​two elements​ of design that the artist used in this piece:

Space and Color

Name ​one principle​ of design that the artist used in this piece:

Emphasis
When you ​first​ looked at this piece what was your reaction to it? (Two or more complete
sentences, minimum)

When I first looked at this painting I felt like I got a good understanding of what war
meant to Dali and how it had impacted him. Simply put war meant death to Salvador, and
he intended to portray this in his painting.

Did your reaction change as you studied this piece? Explain.

As I studied this piece, and learned more and more about Dali as a person, it only
reasserted my own interpretation of the painting. Dali intended to illustrate the suffering
and despair that comes with war, and I personally believe a corpse head that has
presumably an infinite amount of other corpse heads within it portrays “The Face of
War” perfectly.

Sources

List two sources you used to gather your information

1. ​“Salvador Dali - 1161 Paintings, Drawings, Designs, Illustrations, Sculptures and

Photos.” ​Www.wikiart.org,​ www.wikiart.org/en/salvador-dali.

2. ​“Salvador Dali: Biography.” ​Philadelphia Museum of Art​,

www.philamuseum.org/doc_downloads/education/ex_resources/dali.pdf​.
Final Painting Assignment:

Original:

My Version: