An Imagination Run Wild

"At the age of six I wanted to be a cook. At seven I wanted to be Napoleon. And my ambition has been growing steadily ever since." -- Salvador Dali

Catalan artist Salvador Dali is best known for his pioneering Surrealist paintings – paired with his colorful and wild  behavior. While in Barcelona I paid a visit to the Real Circulo Artistico, which houses over 700 paintings, sculptures and photographs of the artists works. While I find Dali’s work very interesting, I certainly would not count them among my favorites, however I loved this particular show for its focus on the creative process of Dali. As opposed to his precise, completed paintings, the drawings, watercolors, and prepatory sketches on exhibit gave so much insight into his process behind the scenes. I was so inspired by his pure creativity! He clearly marched to his own drummer and his quotes and images remind me to have courage, self conviction and imagination! I bet a dinner party with Dali would have been quite an event!

Influenced by the work of Sigmund Freud and Albert Einstein, Dali painted perhaps his most famous work –The Persistance Of Memory in 1931.

A dramatic photograph taken by Carl Van Vechten in 1939 -  love the tiger cape!

A display of Dali's watercolor works, I was struck by how free and unstructured these were! and by the beautiful earthy colors he chose. 

So in the end, eccentricity might breed creativity! Don't be afraid to run a little wild!

Happy Weekend!