INSPIRE ME! Artist, Salvador Dali

"God is just another artist, like me."
~ SALVADOR DALI
"Madonna of Port Lligat" (1950)
By TAHLIB

On May 11, the museum world will celebrate the birthday of Salvador Dali, a Surrealist and a provocateur, but was he really a Religious Artist? That is not for any of us to judge but there is no doubt that he produced some of the most powerful Religious paintings of recent times. Far better known than Thomas Kinkade will ever be, he aspired to the heights of Walt Disney for name recognition, and at times it seemed he would do anything to get attention including adopting that amazing mustache (which I envy). But unlike some imitators, Dali had immeasurable talent and he produced great works which were hungrily collected by individuals and institutions around the world, including the Vatican even though there was good reason to doubt his religious fervor.

  1. As the son of a mother whose family were devout Catholics, and a staunchly atheist father, is there a connection between the style of "surrealism" and your artwork? "God is just another artist, like me."
    2. "Untitled" Self Portrait
  2. How do you describe your art? Why style or genre is it? "Each morning when I awake, I experience again a supreme pleasure - that of being Salvador Dali."
    3. "Crucifixion" (1954)
  3. Have you ever had to defend exploring religious themes? "I have Dalinian thought: the one thing the world will never have enough of is the outrageous."
    4. "The Trinity" (1960)
  4. Why do you want people to collect your artwork? "Liking money like I like it, is nothing less than mysticism. Money is a glory."
    "The Ecumenical Council" (196)
  5. Who would you like to collect your work? “People love mystery, and that is why they love my paintings."
    6. "The Sacred Heart of Jesus" (1962)
  6. What advice would you offer to other Surrealist artists? "Instead of stubbornly attempting to use surrealism for purposes of subversion, it is necessary to try to make of surrealism something as solid, complete and classic as the works of museums."
    7. "Arithmosophic Cross" (1952)
  7. How should Christians, such as yourself deal with the inevitability of sin? "Mistakes are almost always of a sacred nature. Never try to correct them. On the contrary: rationalize them, understand them thoroughly. After that, it will be possible for you to sublimate them."
Nearly every Sunday afternoon, I go to the Metropolitan Museum of Art to visit "my" Dali painting of the Crucifixion (Everyone has one favorite). I am always struck by how it towers above everyone who dares to walk by. I adore it, even as it intimidates me. If it is true that Michelangelo and Caravaggio influenced Religious Artists of their times. I believe with absolutely certainly that future historians will agree the same about Dali, and that he more than anyone else inspired the current crop of 21st century Religious Artists master who "Inspire" like Pastor Charles Tripp and Todd Dayton Fox.