Salvador Dali and the Surrealists: Their Lives and Ideas, 21 Activities (For Kids series)

145 Pages·2003·5.76 MB·English

by  Michael Elsohn Ross

MICHAEL ELSOHN ROSS
Art/Activity Ages 10 & up “For years I have waited for an S
appropriate book to recommend a
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to students and teachers that v
a
communicates Dalí’s truly
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Surrealism remarkable life and ideas without o S a l v a d o r
orn in a Europe shattered by World War I, drew
compromising his complexity. r a

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on the revolutionary theories of Sigmund Freud to mine the creative forces . . . I am thrilled to recommend n
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Michael Ross’s wonderful new d
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of the subconscious in art. The bizarre and often humorous
book on Salvador Dalí.” I
A t
creations of Magritte, Miró, Dalí, and others took the youth of the 1930s —Peter Tush, Curator of Education, N
h
Salvador Dalí Museum D
captivate
imaginations
and 1940s by storm and still the of today’s T e
H
artists E
young . Foremost among the surrealists, Salvador Dalí was a
S Surrealists
eccentric u
painter, filmmaker, designer, performance artist, and self-promoter.
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His famous icons—the melting watches, double images, and everyday e
a
l
objects set in odd contexts—helped to define the way people now view reality. i
s
Dalí’s t
This book explores controversial life and times, and traces the roots of s
Their Lives and Ideas

art rebels
some of the images kids call their own. As readers come to know the
R
engage playing O
of an earlier generation, they’ll with surrealism by the
S
S
“Exquisite Corpse” drawing game, making Man Ray–inspired solar prints, filming a
poetry
dreamscape
video, writing surrealist , and assembling art with
found objects.
$17.95 (CAN $26.95)
21
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activities
Salvador Dalí and the Surrealists
ii
MICHAEL ELSOHN ROSS
S a l v a d o r
´
LIVES
Their
Ideas
and
Surrealists
and
the
21
activities
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Front cover, clockwise from top right: Salvador Dalí, Lobster
Telephone, 1936, mixed media, 17.8 x 33 x 17.8 cm, Tate Modern,
Ross, Michael Elsohn, 1952–
Purchased 1981, © 2003 Salvador Dali, Gala-Salvador Dali
Salvador Dalí and the surrealists : their lives and ideas : 21
Foundation/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York; Salvador
activities / Michael Elsohn Ross.—1st ed.
Dalí, The Persistence of Memory, 1931, © 2003 Salvador Dali,
p. cm.
Gala-Salvador Dali Foundation/Artists Rights Society (ARS),
Summary: Examines the lives and creative work of the surrealist
New York; Dalí in the Theatre Museum, photograph by Melton
artist Salvador Dalí and other artists and friends who shared his new
Casals; René Magritte, Time Transfixed, 1938, Oil on canvas,
ways of exploring art. Features art activities that engage the subcon-
147 x 98.7 cm, The Art Institute of Chicago, Joseph
scious thoughts and spontaneity of the reader.
Winterbotham Collection, 1970.426, photograph courtesy of
Includes bibliographical references and index.
The Art Institute of Chicago, © 2003 C. Herscovici, Brussels /
ISBN 1-55652-479-X
Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York; Salvador Dalí, The
1. Dalí, Salvador, 1904—Juvenile literature. 2. Artists—Spain—
Weaning of Furniture-Nutrition, 1934, Collection of Salvador Dalí
Biography—Juvenile literature. 3. Surrealism—Juvenile literature.
Museum, St. Petersburg, Florida. © 2002 Salvador Dalí
[1. Dalí, Salvador, 1904–2. Artists. 3. Surrealism.] I.Title.
Museum, Inc. Back cover: Fur Covered Cup, Saucer, and Spoon
N7113.D3R73 2003
(1936), by Meret Oppenheim. © 2003 Artists Rights Society
2002155628
(ARS), New York/ProLitteris, Zurich
Cover and interior design: Joan Sommers Design
© 2003 by Michael Elsohn Ross
All rights reserved
First edition
Published by Chicago Review Press, Incorporated
814 North Franklin Street
Chicago, Illinois 60610
ISBN 1-55652-479-X
Printed in Singapore by CSGraphics
5 4 3 2 1
To my son Nick
May your life be full of surreal humor and creativity
CONTENTS
1
5
KING DALÍ
Pictures Everywhere 9
Art Studio 10
Acknowledgments viii
Crystal Eyes 14
Foreword by Peter Tush, Curator
of Education, The Salvador Dalí
2
Museum ix 17
LESSONS FOR A YOUNG ARTIST
Time Line x
Free Association Fun 30
Introduction 1
Inkblots 31
Splotch Art 35
3
39
A LEAP INTO THE SUBCONSCIOUS
Automatic Writing 41
Poetry from the Deep 42
Solar Prints 45
Video of Dreams 50
Dream Journal 51
4
61
DALÍ AND THE SURREALISTS
The “Exquisite Corpse” Drawing 63
Poem Objects 70
Glossary 125
Surreal Objects 72
Art in a Box 77 Resources
Host a Dream Ball 82
Bibliography 126
Impressive Art: A Frottage 87
Museums 127
Web Sites 128
5
89
DALÍ THE CLOWN PRINCE Image Credits 129
Index 131
Unreal Comedy 94
Dalíesque Fashion Collage 96
Double Image Art 104
Dreamscape 107
6
109
CELEBRITY ARTIST
Hair Art 114
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Many thanks to Peter Tush and the staff of the Salvador Dalí Museum for advice and access to archives.
I am grateful to the students of Mariposa Middle School who field-tested the activities and inspired me to
complete the project.
I offer hugs to my wife and son, who shared the joy of exploring Dalíworld and supported my efforts to
create this book.
viii
FOREWORD
As the curator of education at the Salvador Dalí Museum, I am thrilled to have the opportunity to recommend
Michael Ross’s wonderful new work on Salvador Dalí. For years I have waited for an appropriate book to recom-
mend to students and teachers that communicates Dalí’s truly remarkable life and ideas without compromising
his complexity in its presentation. I believe that Ross has achieved this delicate balance, providing an exciting
context in which to discover the fascinating world of this internationally celebrated Catalan surrealist.
Drawing on more than 25 years of experience as a science educator at Yosemite National Park, Ross has
brought a unique sensibility to the world of Dalí. His background in ornithology, geology, botany, and entomol-
ogy has given him the ability not just to present Dalí’s fascinating story, but to capture and engage with Dalí’s
ideas. With his lengthy experience of working with children and writing children’s books, Ross opens the door to
Dalí’s ideas for a new generation. The joy of discovery associated with scientific research translates well to the
world of Dalí, an artist who constantly applied scientific information to his paintings. Using extensive hands-
on projects and art activities, Ross invites young readers to reexperience Dalí’s discoveries firsthand, providing
opportunities to engage in the creative processes of Dalí’s approach to art and living.
Michael Ross is a gifted storyteller as well, and he makes Dalí’s life come alive for young readers. Whether
explaining the complex world of surrealism, exploring Spanish and Catalan culture, covering the entangled his-
torical figures from Dalí’s life, analyzing the optical phenomena and symbolism in Dalí’s work, or elucidating
the surrealist’s interest in the unconscious, Ross succeeds where other authors have fallen short. Not only is
Dalí and the Surrealistsappropriate for students and teachers, it will be enjoyed by anyone wishing to rediscover
why Dalí has fascinated generation after generation of art lovers worldwide.
—Peter Tush, Curator of Education
The Salvador Dalí Museum, St. Petersburg, Florida
ix