|
|
Self Portrait (Figueres)
Date: 1921
Material Used:Oil on burlap
Size: 14 1/2 x 16 1/2 inches
A dramatic and confrontational work, Self Portrait (Figueres) was painted before Dali went to Madrid to attend art school. Proclaiming his pride as an emerging artist, Dali presents himself shrouded in darkness and mystery. We are confronted by the artist's face in mask-like profile, one eye staring past us while he clenches his black pipe, long sideburns showing through the black mass created by his cloak, wide-brimmed hat, and red ascot.
For Dali, being an artist meant being seen as an artist. In his autobiography, he describes this strange early appearance: "I let my hair grow as long as a girl's …as soon as possible I wanted to make myself look unusual…. I bought a large black felt hat and a pipe, which I did not smoke…. On rainy days I wore a waterproof cape…which was so long it almost reached the ground."
His long hair, extreme dress and penetrating gaze anticipate Dali's later trademarks of the wide-eyed expression and antennae-like mustache. This early painting confirms two key characteristics of Dali-that he valued the "unusual" appearance of bohemian artists and that his eccentric personality was already present in his youth.
|
|
 |
|
|
|
