DALI

Dali started creating from a young age. He was painting in oils by the time he was
10 and was producing accomplished works by the time he was 15.
Dali was a bit of a rebel and was thrown out of school because he thought he knew
more than his teachers.
Dali not only did paintings, he turned his hand to writing and made surreal films
including 'Un Chien Andalou' which included a weird collection of donkeys, ants and
eyeballs.
Although born in Spain in 1904 he lived his later life in the USA working with Walt
Disney and film director Alfred Hitchcock.
Dali designed one of the most famous sofas in the world in 1936; it was in the
shape of a giant pair of red lips inspired by Hollywood actress Mae West. Dali was
a larger than life character and wore flamboyant clothes; he was also well known
for his curly moustache.
Unlike many artists Dali was recognised for his talent in his own lifetime and he
could sell his work for lots of money. This was helped by his talent for self publicity.
Dali was part of a group of artists called the Surrealists, which also included Marcel
Duchamp, Rene Magritte and Joan Miro. This group believed that the unexpected
and the unbelievable could happen in art. They liked to combine strange objects
together like Dali did with the lobster and the telephone. Dali called his paintings
"hand-painted dream photographs". The melting clocks and group of ants in The
Persistence of Memory are images that feature in many of Dali's paintings and
show the weird dream-like quality of his work. Dali liked to do 'surreal' things
outside of painting and once delivered a lecture in London in a diving suit! Nearly
suffocating during the presentation, Dali had to be rescued by the young poet,
David Gascoyne.

0. When did he begin painting?

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1. Who did he compare himself with at school?

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2. How did he show his talent for movies?

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3. What did he do in America?

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4. What piece of furniture did he make?

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5. What was special about his face?

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6. When did Dali become successful as an artist?

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7. What everyday technical things can we see in his paintings?

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8. What was he wearing once when he was giving a talk about art?

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