Discovering Dali

First, a confession…I have never been much of a Salvador Dali fan. In art school he was snickered at and considered too “too slick” or “commercial”. We were directed towards abstract painters like De Kooning, Jackson Pollack, Rothko etc. Dali, with his “melting watches”, was thought to be too theatrical to be a “serious” artist.

All that changed when I saw his work first and caught a glimpse of his years as an artist.

We had been told at the Tourist Information in Giron that it was absolutely impossible to get a ticket for a tour of his house at such short notice. Despite that, we drove a narrow, winding road over a small mountain (nobody had mentioned this!) to the Casa Dali, or “Dali’s house”. We walked down to the house, up to the ticket window and were offered two tickets for a tour starting in 20 minutes!

In 1930, attracted by the light and extreme isolation, Dali and his wife Gala bought a a small fisherman’s shack with no heat, no electricity and no running water, just steps from the Mediterranean Sea.

The view of Casa Dali and the Mediterranean on the walk down to where he lived and painted for 52 years.

Standing outside his house, metres from the water.

Dali lived and worked here for 52 years. Over the decades he extended the property piece by piece until it became the amazing place it is today.

His painting supplies, just as he left them.

In 1982 Gala died and his life fell apart. He was unable to work and eventually moved into what became known as the Castillo Gala Dali de Pubol (or the “castle of Gala and Dali at Pubol”). In a way, these years were the “second stage” of his endless creativity that began in his house on the Mediterranean.

The amazing Castillo Gala Dali de Pubol was opened to the public in 1996.

Rooms and corridors were filled with drawings, prints, surreal installations and sculptures. And of course his “melting watches” oil paintings for which he is so well known.

His “Ascension of Christ” shows Jesus ascending into the sky, flanked by angels. It fills the whole ceiling in one large room.

I was also surprised to learn about the life of Gala, who by all accounts was deviant, manipulative, spiteful, controlling and endlessly promiscuous! At one point Dali could only visit her by requesting an appointment via hand-written letter. But at the same time she was the major driving force behind his career, promoting his art and endlessly pushing Dali succeed as an artist.

Dali’s wife Gala.

When I get home from this 3-month trip and after learning so much and being inspired by experiencing first-hand the life and work of Dali—as well as Cezanne, Gaudi and Picasso—I plan to start studying art history all over again!