Egg-static for Dali (groan...)

Not really, but now that I've descended into pathetic puns for my post titles, it's clearly time to wrap up the blog...

By many accounts, Dali was unpleasant, perverse and cowardly, though that doesn't come out at Port Lligat. Dali seems to have had an odd sense of humor, what with the stuffed puffer fish, polar bear and swans, the penis pool, lips sofas, eggs, etc. Surrealism and symbols in every corner.

Dali's town of Port Lligat--he somehow convinced the town officials to allow him the power to approve all additional construction--is dominated by his compound. Which he'd originally started as a very small space so that he and his wife Gala could embrace a simple life with room for only what was absolutely necessary. At some point, they abandoned that idea and began adding on/taking over other buildings and the house grew. As well, he added all kinds of surrealist decor (and who doesn't love an egg on the top of a house or a tiny birdcage for a cricket?).

But when you enter his studio, all the wacky stuff recedes and his art is so clearly the focus. Thanks to the trilingual guide, we learned more about his life, his art, his experiments with perspective, and his muse. The video in a little museum across the street from the house reveals how Dali's works were more complex and multi-layered than the viewer may understand. One seemingly frivolous work--so trivial I can't even remember the topic--becomes the face of Hitler when turned on its side. I need to research that more as Dali was often criticized for never speaking out during the wars.

Some people find his works too disturbing but even after the tour of works in the museum in Figueres, I wasn't put off nor did the kids freak out over the art though a lot of the more graphic pieces went right over their heads thankfully. If anything I was more intrigued by this artist whose personality and "commercial art" overshadowed (for me anyway) some astonishing and deeply moving work that I hadn't known much about. I wouldn't say he's in my "Top 3" as the kids would say, but I'm happy we got a better peek into his world
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