Salvador Dali was a renowned Spanish artist and leader of the Surrealist movement. He attended the Royal Academy of Art in Madrid but felt he was more qualified than the teachers. Dali experimented with many different mediums, like oils and sculpture, and is renowned for works like The Persistence of Memory. In his later years, Dali opened his own museum in Figueres, Spain, which had originally been a municipal theater. He was forced into retirement due to health issues and passed away in 1989.

1. By: Amanda
Shutters

2. Contents
Beginnings of an Artist
Art and Mediums
Death of an Artist
Conclusion
References

3. Beginning of an Artist
Salvador Dali’s full name is
Salvador Felipe Jacinto Dali
I Domenech. He was born
on the morning of May 11 in
1904 in Pyrenees in Spain.
His father was a prestigious
notary (“Salvador felipe
jacinto,” 2005).

4. Beginning of an Artist
Dali began drawing lessons at age ten. He
attended the Royal Academy of Art in
Madrid and he felt that he was more
qualified than any of the teachers there so
he dropped out (Wanczura, 2009). People
first recoginized Dali as an artist in 1925
when he had a one-man show in Barcelona
(“Salvador felipe jacinto,” 2005).

5. Beginning of an Artist
Question: What was the
first art school that Dali
attended and why did
he decide he no longer
wanted to be there?

6. Art and Mediums
Dali is most noted as the leader of the
Surrealist Movement (“Salvador felipe jacinto,”
2005). Marriam-Webster defines Surrealism as
the principles, ideals, or practice of producing
fantastic imagery or effects in art of literature
by means of unnatural or irrational
combinations (surrealism, 2010). A lot of Dali’s
art was constructed from his dreams
(Wanczura 2009).

7. Art and Mediums
In art, medium refers to the type of materials used for a specific work.
Dali was not attached to one type of medium in his lifetime. He used
everything from oils and water colors to sculptures, films and jewels
(Salvador felipe jacinto,” 2005). He is most noted for The Persistence
of Memory which includes the melting clocks. He is also known for
the Temptation of St. Anthony (see below).

8. Art and Mediums
Question: What is
Surrealism and how would
you define medium when
it pertains to art?

9. Death of an Artist
Dali is the only artist to have two museums dedicated
to just his works . The first is the Dali Museum in St.
Petersburg, Florida. It houses 95 oil paintings, six of
which are Dali’s large paintings. It was opened in 1982.
The other is the Dali Museum-Theatre in Figueres,
Spain. It was the place of his first public exhibition
when he was fourteen. It was opened in 1974 by Dali
himself and he had transformed the former Municpal
Theatre into his dream (Wanczura, 2009).

10. Death of an Artist
Slavador Dali was forced into an early retirement. In 1980 he
suffered from palsy that caused permanent trembling and
weakness of his hands. Because of his weakness, he was no
longer able to hold a paintbrush. Along with the palsy, Dali’s
wife passed away. After her death, he went into a deep
depression. In 1984, a fire broke out when he was sleeping and
he experienced sever burns. Two years later, he had a pacemaker
implanted. In the last years of his life, he lived in his own
museum in the tower. he suffered from a heart attack and
passed on Januray 23, 1989 (Wanczura, 2009).

11. Death of an Artist
Question: Where did Dali
open his own museum and
what was it originally?

12. Conclusion
Salvador Dali lived a long life and accomplished a
lot in the art world. He was known as one of the
main founders of the Surrealism Movement. He
always experimented with mediums of different
types so he was not known as just a painter, he was
a man of many trades. In his tragic last years, he
had to give up his love of painting and lost most of
what he had. His paintings will last forever in the
eyes of art students as inspiration.

13. References
Salvador felipe jacinto dali i domenech. (2005). Retrieved January 24, 2010, from
http://www.salvadordalimuseum.org/history/biography.html
Surrealism. (2010). In Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary. Retrieved January 24,
2010 from http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/surrealism
Wanczura, D. (2009). Salvador dali-1904-1989. Retrieved January 24, 2010, from
http://www.artelino.com/articles/salvador_dali.asp