Salvador Dali appears to have cultivated his own photography talent with his cane, famous waxed mustache, and habit of taking exotic animals for walks. But photographing the man who stood as the living definition of popular surrealism was not a task taken lightly. philip halsmanwho did it more than anyone else. The native of what is now Latvia had a checkered life, but ultimately (after several interventions by none other than Albert Einstein), Halsman later said of Einstein: ) famous portraits) brought him to the United States. He met Dali in 1941 when he was assigned to photograph an exhibition in New York.
Halsman increasingly photographed Dali, and these jobs became a collaborative effort spanning several decades. Its many fruits include: book The artist’s mustache alone contains 36 views, but it also includes more ambitious, more surreal images. Dali Atomicsfrom 1948. Leda Atomicaa portrait of Dali’s wife Gala influenced by both mythology and science, the picture includes not only that painting, but also an arc of water and three flying cats. At least it looks like it’s flying. In reality, they were thrown into the frame by a team of assistants, including Halsman’s wife and young daughter Irene.
Eileen Halsman recalls the following experience: BBC timeframe video aboveThe now widely known detail is that Dali’s own original concept for the photograph involved blowing up a duck with a firecracker. “Oh, no, you can’t do that,” she remembers her father replying. “You’re in America right now, and you don’t want to end up in jail for animal cruelty.” A flying cat is visually captured mid-air along with the contents of a bucket of water. is. Leda Atomica In an example of what Halsmann called “jumpology,” a photographic practice in which Dali himself was shown to be floating in the air, he was also instructed to jump (other subjects include Audrey Hepburn, J. -Also included Robert Oppenheimer, Marilyn Monroe, and Richard Nixon).
Dali Atomics Published in life A magazine to which Halsman contributed prolifically. The same issue included several outtakes, revealing some of the 5-6 hour process it took to complete the shot. you can Check out some such prints on Artsyits shortcomings include “Water splashes on Dali instead of the cat,” “Dali jumps too slow,” and “Secretary becomes obsessed with the photo.” But it wasn’t all about timing. This photo also required some pre-editing in Photoshop to complete. Also, the empty canvas behind the jumping Dali had to be quickly filled by Dali himself. A non-existent painting with a cat’s paws as a motif. An artist has emerged who knows how to seize inspiration when it strikes.
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Based in Seoul, Colin Mbemust write and broadcastIt’s about cities, languages ​​and cultures. His projects include the Substack newsletter books about cities and a book Stateless City: A Stroll Through Los Angeles in the 21st Century. Follow him on the social network formerly known as Twitter. @Colinbemust.
