Kirsten Bradbury

I definitely appreciate Dali, but sometimes I can’t exactly enjoy his artwork. He is probably one of the 20th-century’s most complicated and convoluted artists, so I don’t feel too bad saying that overall. At least with this book I was able to see more of a range of his artwork, and find some that I actually did enjoy - a definite trend that seems to be emerging with this series of “Essential” art books! Each painting is paired with a short writeup summarizing its major themes and connections to Dali’s larger oeuvre, providing a simple introduction to what are incredibly complex works in many cases. I doubt I will ever be a fan of Dali’s religious and truly surrealist works, since I can’t connect to Christian themes and his dreamscapes are a little too macabré for my tastes, but his technique is undoubtedly of the highest quality. The realism, composition, and thought behind each of these paintings gives them merit besides that of the apparent marketing and fame machine that Dali cultivated. A few of the standout pieces collected in this book for me were those where Dali actually takes it down a notch from his usual maximal output: the simplicity of composition in “Pierrot Playing the Guitar,” the floral textures in “Lago Di Garda,” and the linework in “The Judges” all create lovely and powerful imagery for the mind. I’ll definitely be looking out for some more books on Dali, since it seems there is more of him for me to enjoy than I previously thought.… (more)