HelloAlexCLWed, Dec 16, 2009 I've read and studied all of Dali's autobiographies and only really delved into his paintings and philosophical writings inasmuch as they illuminated the person/persona, which happened to be quite a bit. It would be fair to say that my mind got raped during these few months that I was studying him. He is both terrifying (he has no self) and quite funny. Of utmost importance in his biographical writings are the figures of his mother and Gala, as placeholder of the mother. If you are interested in his technique, the autobiographies are key, not just 50 Secrets, which is supposed to be a handbook for young painters but amounts to another autobiography. But then again, maybe that's just the way I've been trained, as his philosophical writings also appear to me to be autobiographical. You might want to research his "paranoiac-critical method." It's outlines in his book Oui.
I've read and studied all of Dali's autobiographies and only really delved into his paintings and philosophical writings inasmuch as they illuminated the person/persona, which happened to be quite a bit. It would be fair to say that my mind got raped during these few months that I was studying him. He is both terrifying (he has no self) and quite funny. Of utmost importance in his biographical writings are the figures of his mother and Gala, as placeholder of the mother. If you are interested in his technique, the autobiographies are key, not just 50 Secrets, which is supposed to be a handbook for young painters but amounts to another autobiography. But then again, maybe that's just the way I've been trained, as his philosophical writings also appear to me to be autobiographical. You might want to research his "paranoiac-critical method." It's outlines in his book Oui.