January 23: On This Day in World History … briefly
He was a skilled draftsman, best known for the striking and bizarre images in his surrealist work.
1989: Salvador Dali fails to live forever
Spanish surrealist painter Salvador Dali is on record saying:
Geniuses don’t die, I’m going to live forever.
Nevertheless, he died at his Spanish castle in Figueras at the age of 78 on this day in 1989. Famed for his varnished moustache, flowing capes and outrageous behaviour, Dali had been a recluse since the death of his wife Gala in 1982.
Dali was a technical virtuoso and his dreamlike scenes of melting watches and painstakingly detailed beauties supported by fantastical crutches commanded huge prices. He once said that his paintings were motivated by his megalomania. The art world was outraged by confirmation that he had been signing blank canvases for others to paint.
Dalí was highly imaginative, and also enjoyed indulging in unusual and grandiose behavior. To the dismay of those who held his work in high regard, and to the irritation of his critics, his eccentric manner and attention-grabbing public actions sometimes drew more attention than his artwork.
His painterly skills are often attributed to the influence of Renaissance masters. His best-known work ‘The Persistence of Memory’ was completed in August 1931. Dalí’s expansive artistic repertoire included film, sculpture, and photography, at times in collaboration with a range of artists in a variety of media. He attributed his ‘love of everything that is gilded and excessive, my passion for luxury and my love of oriental clothes’ to an ‘Arab lineage’, claiming that his ancestors were descendants of the Moors.
Most notable historic snippets or facts extracted from the book ‘On This Day’ first published in 1992 by Octopus Publishing Group Ltd, London, as well as additional supplementary information extracted from Wikipedia.
HAVE YOUR SAY
Like our Facebook page, follow us on Twitter and Instagram
For news straight to your phone, add us on WhatsApp 082 421 6033
