On Thursday, I'm going to the L.A. County Museum of Art to see the Dali exhibit. If you don't know Dali like I know Dali, here's a glimpse:
Now, that's an effervescent rose!
I've never really figured out why artists sign their names illegibly. Are they embarrassed? Or, by the time the canvas is finished, are they just exhausted?
If it looks, by the red, red rose, like Dali may have been a romantic, work this one out:
"She's is either the cosmic force that holds all things together, or she's in great need of analysis."
(excerpt from official LACMA Docent Tour copy.)
Oh, Dali knows I kid.
Actually, when I was in college, majoring in journalism and campaigning for Jimmy Carter, my secret ambition was to paint like Salvador Dali. Writing always came much more easily to me than the act of staying inside the lines, which apparently is kind of important. I worked on it, privately, in my apartment, when I was supposed to be writing news articles and English composition papers. I soon learned that painting like Salvador Dali meant I'd first have to know how to draw like Salvador Dali, and then I'd have to look at things the way Salvador Dali did, and then I'd have to have Salvador Dali's soul, which means I'd have to get a very large machete onto a plane, and I'm already afraid to fly with just nail clippers. But giving up that dream saved me from the very difficult decision of which pocket to hide the machete in and how to get Dali's soul back to the States without having to buy him a ticket.
So, I put away my art supplies, lo those many years ago. This doesn't mean I don't have evidence of that time. Here's my proudest achievement on the short road to becoming Dali:
And, only 19 years old! Obviously, I should have stayed with it.
So, as you can imagine, I'm really looking forward to seeing Dali in a couple of days and giving him a piece of my mind. For one thing, I want him to finally explain this:
I wonder if he'll say, 'no comprendo' again this time?
Stay tuned: Chris finds a use for her large green tarp!
2 comments:
I happen to love your "Little Girl Floating Sideways". Just wait, in a few years it'll be the thing!
Dali is just too brilliant. I also loved his bigger than life personality. Not ONLY a great painter, but he made HIMSELF a work of art.
Beautiful Dali examples. Beautiful post!
Lisa H.
Thanks, Lisa!
Oh, yeah, he was a character! And I just seem to look at his canvases for a long minutes, just wondering and thinking about the images.
By the way, the "Little Girl Floating Sideways" (great title) isn't really mine, I just found it and used it to make fun of myself. I actually don't have any of my paintings from my college years, but I found this stolen image really gave the feel of what I had produced back then! I actually like that little picture. I may have to try to reproduce it.
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