Salvador Dali Quotes on Art

Salvador Dali was an influential twentieth century artist and one of the central figures of the Surrealist art movement. The artist was a masterful self promoter and used his eccentric and ostentatious acts and behavior to attract plenty of attention. He produced paintings, drawings, prints, sculpture and photography. Famous Salvador Dali paintings include “The Great Masturbator”, “The Persistence of Memory”, “Premonition of Civil War”, and “Dream Caused by the Flight of a Bumble Bee”

Mini biography: Born Salvador Domingo Felipe Jacinto Dalí i Domènech on the 11th of May, 1904 in Figueres, Catalonia, Spain. His mother was Felipa Domènech Ferrés and his father was Salvador Rafael Aniceto Dalí Cusí. Dali married the Russian born Elena Ivanovna Diakonova known as Gala Dalí. Salvador Dali died on the 23rd of January, 1989 in Figueres, Catalonia, Spain. Dali was 84 years old when he passed away.

Salvador Dali Art Quotes

The problem with the youth of today’ is that one is no longer part of it. Salvador Dali

Surrealism is destructive, but it destroys only what it considers to be shackles limiting our vision. Salvador Dali

You have to systematically create confusion, it sets creativity free. Everything that is contradictory creates life. Salvador Dali

Progressive art can assist people to learn not only about the objective forces at work in the society in which they live, but also about the intensely social character of their interior lives. Ultimately, it can propel people toward social emancipation. Salvador Dali

The fact that I myself, at the moment of painting, do not understand my own pictures, does not mean that these pictures have no meaning; on the contrary, their meaning is so profound, complex, coherent, and involuntary that it escapes the most simple analysis of logical intuition. To describe my pictures in everyday language, to explain them, it is necessary to submit them to special analyses and preferably with the most ambitiously objective scientific rigor possible. Salvador Dali

I was never capable of being an average pupil. I would either seem refractory to any teaching and give the impression of being completely dumb or I would fling myself on my work with a frenzy, a patience, and a willingness to learn that astonished everybody. But to awaken my zeal, it was necessary to offer me something I liked. Once my appetite had been whetted, I became ravenously hungry. Salvador Dali

What is an elegant woman? An elegant woman is a woman who despises you and who has no hair under her arms. Salvador Dali

Every morning upon awakening, I experience a supreme pleasure: that of being Salvador Dalí, and I ask myself, wonderstruck, what prodigious thing will he do today, this Salvador Dalí. Salvador Dali

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. Salvador Dali

When I paint, the sea roars. The others splash about in the bath. Salvador Dali

People love mystery, and that is why they love my paintings. Salvador Dali

Intelligence without ambition is a bird without wings. Salvador Dali

There are some days when I think I’m going to die from an overdose of satisfaction. Salvador Dali

Drawing is the honesty of the art. There is no possibility of cheating. It is either good or bad. Salvador Dali

When the creations of a genius collide with the mind of a layman, and produce an empty sound, there is little doubt as to which is at fault. Salvador Dali

You know the worst thing is freedom. Freedom of any kind is the worst for creativity. Salvador Dali

The desire to survive and the fear of death are artistic sentiments. Salvador Dali

Those who do not want to imitate anything, produce nothing. Salvador Dali

At the age of six I wanted to be a cook. At seven I wanted to be Napoleon. And my ambition has been growing steadily ever since. Salvador Dali

Democratic societies are unfit for the publication of such thunderous revelations as I am in the habit of making. Salvador Dali

One day it will have to be officially admitted that what we have christened reality is an even greater illusion than the world of dreams. Salvador Dali

Each morning when I awake, I experience again a supreme pleasure: that of being Salvador Dali. Salvador Dali

Have no fear of perfection, you’ll never reach it. Salvador Dali

More on Spanish Artist Salvador Dali

How has Salvador Dali influenced your art making? Is he the best Surrealist artist? I think he’s definitely the best self promoter of his time. He paved the path for mega money artists like Damien Hirst and Jeff Koons. Let us know what you think about Salvador Dali in the comments below.

• Isle of the Dead Painting – See the different versions of the Isle of the Dead (Die Toteninsel) painting by Arnold Böcklin and an artwork by Salvador Dali who was inspired by the masterpiece.

For more on the famous Spanish artist here’s three excellent Salvador Dali books: “Dali by Taschen“, “The Secret Life of Salvador Dalí“, and “Dalí. The Paintings“.