minniev Loc: MIssissippi

That's funny! Thanks!

RichieC Loc: Adirondacks

Visit the Dali museum in St. Petersburgh FL, to appreciate his work.

https://thedali.org/

Seen in person, you will appreciate the craftsmanship and artistic ability and be subject to the intended effects much much more than a slide or plate in a book. I thought whoop-de-do too until we wandered into the museum. Then, as i made my way around... well its like trying to explain or show a photo of Yosemite is ... you just can't get it till you go there... then you can really appreciate what Ansel captured...

Or perhaps Guernica, by Pablo Picasso ... until this work is in front of you-the size of a billboard... looming over you... you can't grasp what he accomplished. You will become uncomfortable and horrified... which is exactly what he wanted to happen- especially when you understand the background story. I was lucky enough to not know about the subject, and sensitive enough to be receptive and pay attention to my feelings when i saw it- enough to go back and look it all up. Then it became crystal clear! I was part of his "performance."

Incidentally, This painting made me appreciate Picasso's other works... and in fact the lesson to give ANY artist- especially the great ones like Dali, the chance to see the real thing, before I make a decision if I like or appreciate it or not- even if i would not hang it in my house . Even so--there are plenty of works I absolutely hate...



https://www.pablopicasso.org/guernica.jsp

Anvil Loc: Loveland, CO

Love it!

minniev Loc: MIssissippi

Thank you for sharing a thought provoking review, and re-iterating how much more these masterworks can mean if we have the chance to see them in person. Last week while we were in Spain, we didn't get a chance to travel to Figueres where the Dali museum is. The Picasso museum was right there in Barcelona (though Guernica, my favorite, lives in Madrid), and our hotel was next door to the building where the huge Picasso frieze is located! http://patrickguidebarcelona.com/2017/11/02/picassos-frieze/

srt101fan

For the record, I have been to the Dali museum in St. Pete and my earlier comments reflect that experience. But I generally agree with your view....

R.G. Loc: Scotland

I agree with earlier suggestions that this type of work takes the whole subject of art into some very murky depths. This type of output causes us to wonder about the purpose behind it and therefore the effect/reaction that it was intended to produce. Art can have many purposes, from simply portraying beauty to making profound statements about life, the universe and everything.

So what about surrealism? My sister and myself once decided to find out about the real nature of the more obscure lyrics that were common at the time (such as Bob Dylan's "All along the Watchtower"). The best explanation we saw was that trying to make sense of them was not only futile but also missing the point, because the lyrics were all about being evocative in the sense of evoking specific mental imagery ("The bridge at midnight trembles" and the like).

That explanation does a good job of describing one of the intentions of some types of art. But I would say that it only partly describes the intention of surreal art. For a fuller explanation we would have to consider the fact that one type of surrealism attempts to get us to see beyond the surface of reality (i.e the immediately observable reality). In the example that we're discussing here, we are used to seeing clocks and clock faces as rigid objects but here they are portrayed as flexible to the point of being almost fluid. Even if you don't immediately register the implication of that, the imagery works on a subconscious level to suggest that time isn't rigid in the way that we're used to thinking of it as being.

The title adds another dimension which points to an apparent anomaly of memory, which is that our memories, while being time-oriented, don't record the continuous, fluid passing of time but instead record slices or chunks of that continuous flow, and relatively speaking, those records are rigid enough to have persistence in a time continuum that's characterised by fluidity. (That's my take on it anyhow. Why present time as being fluid and shapeless and then refer to the persitence of memory?).

Earlier posts have portrayed Dali as being a publicity-seeker, or even worse - an attention-seeker. Since I have no way of knowing how true or untrue that portrayal is, it's possible to put a more positive spin on it. Isn't it possible that Dali saw his whole life (or at least his public life) as a form of performance art? And wouldn't that have some ligitimacy coming from somebody who was undeniably an artist?

I have only ever made tentative forays into the world of surrealism so I'll apologise for re-posting the following image that I've posted more than once already. I like that it reduces the scene to some essential ingredients and presents those ingredients in an unusual way in order to draw attention to them (which I believe is one of the intentions of some types of surrealism). There are the strong structural verticals of the tree-trunks, some small-detail horizontal randomness on the ground, some more elegant and more fragile structures in the canopy plus some light among those branches where there is an almost electric energy flowing.
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srt101fan

Always a pleasure to read your posts, R.G. - always informative and thought-provoking. Your image is astounding, but, as with the Dali work that started this conversation, it's not the kind I would want to hang on my wall (for me it's a bit disturbing) but I find it a great image nonetheless.

A little off the surreal art topic, but just this morning I ran across this early painting by Dali. Quite a difference in style from his later works! But then we see that in a lot of painters. Pity that so often the later works get all the attention....

R.G. Loc: Scotland

Thank you srt_fan. I'd have to say that "disturbing" wasn't quite the reaction I had in mind . But I can understand your preference for realism.

I imagine most artists go through a similar process of learning traditional art before developing their style. It's probably a good thing because it'll have a grounding effect. Art that's very "out there" may be interesting to some but Dali's strength lies in his ability to tap in to universal themes in a way that most people can relate to.

srt101fan

"Disturbing" was probably the wrong word to use. I think it's a great image and what you did to create the trees is admirable. But for me somehow it evokes memories of childhood stories of dark woods with trees that come alive in a not necessarily friendly manner. The way the trees near the front lean in, and the open area between them, seems like an invitation to go into the woods. But what awaits there?.....

Does that make any sense?

R.G. Loc: Scotland

Indeed. 10 different people will have 10 different reactions to the same scene. I've had the advantage of seeing the original daylight scene and it was anything but intimidating. Some childhood story writers have a lot to answer for .

minniev Loc: MIssissippi

Thanks RG for sharing your thoughts, especially on the nature of surrealism and the effect that surrealistic presentations make on our psyche: you can't help but look. Dali, who was a practitioner in multiple kinds of art, was masterful in finding elements of shock/surprise that would command attention.

A special thanks for sharing the Electrical Forest, which has a similar effect, forcing us to look and wonder.