Friday, May 19, 2023

Divina Dali

May 2023 - Toronto ON






Considered one of the most famous and prolific artists of the 20th century, Salvador Dalí pushed the aesthetic boundaries of art. Leader of the Spanish “avant-garde”, he was interested in new sciences as well as the Freudian theories of the unconscious. He also developed an artistic technique inspired by psychoanalysis, paranoia-criticism, which became the true creative engine behind the surrealist movement (a movement that Dalí is considered a leading figure within).


 His most well-known painting to all of us, The Persistence of Memory – often called The Melting Clocks or Soft Watches – best symbolizes this surrealist style. First shown in Paris in 1932, the work would be exhibited two years later in New York, where it has remained.




The exhibition features over 100 works by eccentric genius, Salvador Dalí, but not in the way you'd expect. Divina Dalí is an immersive interpretation of one of Dalí's lesser-known bodies of work which was commissioned to celebrate the 700th birthday of another cultural icon: The Italian poet, Dante Alighieri.




Dante's epic, The Divine Comedy is a famous poetic masterpiece in which he tells the story of himself, journeying through the layers of Hell, Purgatory, and Paradise.




The bust of the famous Italian poet is Dali's first and only sculpture and shows three different views of Dante at once, with a group of golden spoons entwined about the head. Head of Dante  1964 on its first visit to North America.



The collection includes 101 watercolour paintings and drawings, one for each 'canto' or section of Dante's poem.
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Dalí's interpretations are rich with his vivid imagery and signature, surrealist style.

As visitors make their way through the space, the immersive experience is divided into three sections: the inferno, purgatory, and paradise.
As you might expect, the inferno is dark and moody, purgatory strange and uneasy and, naturally, paradise is bright and colourful in it's own Dalí-esque way.




The Furies


The Blasphemers


Phlegethon Waterfall

Lucifer





Each of the three worlds transports you with its own sounds, atmosphere and artwork.



The Guardian Angels of the Valley


Our Lady's Announcement


Arachine



In 1945, Salvador Dalí moved to Hollywood to work on the film Spellbound, directed by the master of suspense Alfred Hitchcock and starring Gregory Peck and Ingrid Bergman. This is one of the first American films to use psychoanalysis as a major element of the story.




Blinded by Envy


Ecstatic Visions


The Lazy


The Avaricious 


Dante Purified


The Golden Age



The Last Words of Virgil











Dante


There were cozy seating nooks along this outside wall, I couldn't find out any more information on the stained glass.







The Angel of the First Heaven


Ascension to Venus


Chronology of Cacciaguida

Christ's Garden





Joy of the Blessed






The Angels of the Empyrean








Back in the lobby.















2 comments:

  1. Oh my goodness, these are wonderful...I've never seen most of them. What a great display! Of course it would give me some nightmares too. I have visited the Dali Museum in St. Petersburg FL, which is pretty overwhelming also. But since my relatives live nearby, it was definitely worth the trip! Thanks for giving us a glimpse of this show.

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  2. Some amazing work. I would enjoy this.

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