Monday, September 21, 2009

Illuminated Pleasures

"Illuminated Pleasures"
This painting is "Illuminated Pleasures" by Salvador Dali, published in 1929. This painting is displayed in The Museum of Modern Art in New York City, New York. Salvador Dali is known for his Surrealism paintings his most famous "The Melting Clock". Some can argue that Salvador Dali was the father of the Surrealism Movement going on at the time.
Almost all of Salvador Dali's painting are done using Surrealism. Surrealism is distorting figures almost to trick the mind. Often times trying to connect with the subconcious mind. Salvador Dali made a quote regarding to this painting. Someone asked why do all your paintings potray violence or sex. Salvador simply said "Well quite frankly that is my life". When Dali was starting out his styles of painting were looked down upon by critics but later was praised by those same critics an were considered some of the greatest art of the modern era.
Are all these things put together to represent a bigger picture or just thrown together just because? Why are majority of his paintings all have very similiar backrounds: sun fading, few clouds, dirt ground?

5 comments:

  1. Yeah--I never noticed how Dali always sets these images or things on a barren landscape--is that what we fear is behind all of our activities and pursuits? Nothing? Is that what drives us? I can't tell what the pleasure is in the lower right hand corner.

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  2. If you dissect this painting piece by piece, there are lots of different things that I wonder about. Like why in the lower right hand corner is there a painting of bicyclists going opposite directions? And what is on their heads? And what is with the lion's head?

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  3. I like how this painting has many things going on in it all at the same time. To me it feels like you have to pay attention to the little things in life instead of just looking at the big picture. There are very many odd things occuring, like why are the two hands holding a bloody knife? What is the man doing on the right side of the painting? Does he represent the artist, and does the object represent his canvas? It seems to me like this is the way the artist paints when he gets his ideas.

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  4. Yeah there really is a lot of little things to take notice to in this picture.

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  5. Great comments That Guy, what does basetballdude think?

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