The Delightful Mount, Inferno
The Furies, Inferno
My mother's favorite artist is surrealist Salvador Dali. I remember as a child, I would look at her huge coffee table book of Dali's work, and because she liked it, I thought it must be good. Today, I don't rate Dali as my favorite artist, but I certainly have a nostalgic attachment to him.
Virgil's Admonishment, Purgatory
The Tree of Punishment, Purgatory
Lucky for my mom and me, we live near the University of Tennessee, and an alumnus donated his collection of Dali's depictions of Dante Alighieri's Divine Comedy to the school. Commissioned by the Italian goverment in 1951 to depict the literary masterpiece, Dali immediately set to work. Unfortunately, there was an uproar from Italian citizens that an Italian artist had not been chosen for the job, and the assignment was revoked from Dali. Nevertheless, he proceeded with the work, and from 1951-60, he created 101 watercolor drawings. I recently had the opportunity to visit UT's gallery and view these pieces. Many are very beautiful, but all are provocative and puzzling.
It is interesting to view art and try to lose oneself in it. I don't do it nearly enough. Visiting the Dali exhibit was a great experience because it made me realize that I need to spend more time viewing and learning about art.
Two Circles of Spirits, Paradise
The Apparition of St. James, Paradise
All images from Lockport Street Gallery
i absolutely adore dali. his work is so inspiring and always has an eerie feel about it. i'm so jealous you got to see so many of his works :)
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