Artist Report

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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: Figueroa, 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.)

Salvadors mother passed away when he was 16 years old. He was severely impacted by
his mothers death because not only did she die, but because he felt that she was also
forgotten by his father who then went on to marry his deceased wifes sister. In august of
1929, Salvador met a girl by the name of Elena Dmitrievna Diakonova (also known as
Gala). She was married when they first met to another surrealist artist named Paul
luard. Later on, Gala and Salvador developed strong feelings for her and not only did
she become his muse, but they also married in 1934.

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.)

The prevailing art style of the time was surrealism and art deco. Surrealism is an art style
that allowed artists to illustrate dreams and visions free from rational control. Art deco is
an art style that involves using architecture and furniture.

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

When he was only 10 years old he got involved in Impressionist and Pointillist art styles.
The style that he really helped push and is now extremely well known for is Surrealism.
What important historical events happened during the artists lifetime that influenced one
or more pieces? (Your response should be a minimum of 100 words and complete
sentences.)

Salvador Dali was obsessed with Hitler because of the shape of his back. He actually
included Hitler in his work multiple times including The Enigma of Hitler. His obsession
with Adolf Hitler was actually a big factor, among other events, that stirred up a lot of
controversy, ultimately ending in Salvadors expulsion from the surrealists. Salvador Dali
later in life also became very money hungry. He sacrificed his artistic talent for money
and it is something that he lost the respect of many artists for. It is even said that he used
to sign blank sheets of paper for other artists to sell as Dali pieces for money.

Select one piece that your artist did

Name of the piece: The First Days of Spring

Copy and paste your artists painting here:

What is it about?

This piece was one of his first surreal works of art. It was painted during a time of
personal stress and is said that the figures of the man and the boy represent Dalis wish to
heal his relationship with his father.

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

The reason that I chose this piece is because I wanted to do one of his earlier works. I
love the style and I think drawing either a cow or a cat in this piece will look nice.

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

One element of design is color, nothing in the painting is very vibrant. It looks very bland
and dreary. Another element I feel he uses well is space, having that man in the chair off
to the side makes me feel like he was feeling depressed or disconnected.

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

I think that he does a good job proportioning, having things appear smaller as he moves
to the back of the back of the painting.

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

The first thing that I thought was is that a road or a stair case? After looking at it closer
I was able to tell it was a staircase. I love the fish in the front and all the other figures are
fun to look at and try to imagine what he was thinking.

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

When I first saw it, I thought it looked fun and cheerful. After looking closer at the man
in the chair and the man towering over the other man it looked a lot more sad.

Sources

List two sources you used to gather your information

1. https://www.biography.com/people/salvador-dal-40389

2. http://www.theartstory.org/artist-dali-salvador.htm