Masters of Deception: Escher, Dali & the Artists of Optical Illusion

Book Description

Astonishing creations by masters of the art, such as Escher, Dali, and Archimbolo; amazing visual trickery; and an illuminating foreword by the Pulitzer Prize--winning author Douglas R. Hofstadter make this 320-page, breathtaking collection the definitive book of optical illusions.

Rings of seahorses that seem to rotate on the page. Butterflies that transform right before your eyes into two warriors with their horses. A mosaic portrait of oceanographer Jacques Cousteau made from seashells. These dazzling and often playful artistic creations manipulate perspective so cleverly that they simply outwit our brains: we can’t just take a quick glance and turn away. They compel us to look once, twice, and over and over again, as we try to figure out exactly how the delightful trickery manages to fool our perceptions so completely. Of course, first and foremost, every piece is beautiful on the surface, but each one offers us so much more. Some, including Sandro del Prete’s charming “Window Gazing,” construct illusionary worlds where normal conceptions of up, down, forward, and back simply have no meaning anymore. Others, such as Jos De Mey’s sly “Ceci n’est pas un Magritte,” create visual puns on earlier work. From Escher’s famous and elaborate “Waterfall” to Shigeo Fukuda’s “Mary Poppins,” where a heap of bottles, glasses, shakers, and openers somehow turn into the image of a Belle Epoque woman when the spotlight hits them, these works of genius will provide endless enjoyment and food for thought.

Customer Reviews:

Something everyone would find interesting.......2007-08-06

I teach high school freshmen, and I keep this book on my shelf for students to look through on their own time. It is easily one of the most popular books, and after only three years the wear is beginning to prove this. I don't know how many times I have dropped it off at a student's table because they were bored, and dared them to not find something interesting in the book. Without fail, a students will be engrossed in the book within minutes.

One of the best features about this book compared to other books of its kind is that it contains dozens of examples of dozens of various types of art. Beyond the typical optical illusions, it features trompe d'loeil murals, artwork created with hair or chocolate syrup, artwork that can only be viewed with a reflective cylinder, and much more. As I mentioned before, nearly everyone will find something fascinating in this book.

SPECTACULAR VISUAL DELIGHT.......2007-06-08

For anyone with eyes, I recommend this book. I purchased for my girlfriend and she loved it. Dali and Echer are particular noteworthy in this collection of illusioins. It will renew your sense of wonder about how your brain works.

my new coffee table book.......2007-01-30

Wow - I chose this based on the chorus of 5 star reviews, submitted by others who seem much more knowledgeable in this field than I, and I am NOT disappointed! This is a great looking book - big, hardcover, suitable for your coffee table. As stated in other reviews, the book has a nice sampling of well known artists, plus an array of fun illusions, and EXPLANATIONS, which is something I had not seen in other books of illusions. This is just a very nice book, meeting the hype, and worthy of your coffee table or anybody else's for that matter .. definitely gift-worthy.

Fascinating imagery.......2007-01-19

Overall this is a fascinating book, interesting to read and fun to look through the pictures. My only complaint is with a few of the images which are too small to appreciate. 2 x 4 inches is not sufficient to enjoy Escher's detailed graphics, and I found myself using a magnifying glass at times. Thankfully this is the exception, and many images are almost full-page size. Even if you know nothing about art, this is an enjoyable book, because you will find yourself amazed by the clever images.

Wonderful family book.......2007-01-16

I purchased this book for my teenage son for Christmas. It was a big hit with everyone in the family, and with our friends who stopped by that day. And even after the holidays, I saw my son (an avid video gamer who refuses to read books) pick it up several times, and even share it with a friend.
The information about the different artists is fascinating, and the artwork is fun, inspiring and amazing.

Barcelona and Modernity: Picasso, Gaudi, Miro, Dali

Average customer rating:

Beautiful, but confused

Barcelona and Modernity: Picasso, Gaudi, Miro, Dali
William H. Robinson , Jordi Falgas , and Carmen Bellon Lord
Manufacturer: Yale University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0300121067

Book Description

During the years after the September Revolution of 1868, Barcelona experienced tremendous industrial growth and emerged as the most politically and culturally progressive city in Spain. Barcelona and Modernity examines this remarkable seventy-one-year period, when Barcelona also reigned as one of the most dynamic centers of modernist art and architecture in Europe. Focusing on the Catalan Renaixença, Modernisme, Noucentisme, avant-garde movements of the early 20th century, and artistic reactions to the Spanish Civil War, essays by an extraordinary international team of scholars offer new insights into the work of such Catalan artists as Antoni Gaudí, Pablo Picasso, Joan Miró, and Salvador Dalí, among others, by setting them in context with the art of their teachers, colleagues, and rivals.

With approximately 350 works in a variety of media—painting, sculpture, photography, furniture, decorative arts, and architectural design—this intriguing book also explores how Catalan artists derived inspiration from local traditions while contributing their own innovations to international modernism. Broader in scope than any previous treatment of the subject, this book is sure to alter popular perceptions of Catalonia and become a fundamental text for years to come.

Customer Reviews:

Beautiful, but confused.......2007-04-28

The catalogue for an exhibition held at the Cleveland Museum of Art in 2006 and at the Met in NY in 2007, this book is beautifully illustrated and very well written. It is a treasure trove of information on the history of Barcelona and enables the reader to discover some great and overlooked artists like the painters Ramon Casas (a sort of Spanish Manet) and Santiago Rusiñol, or the architect and designer Josep Puig i Cadafalch and many others, responsible for the intellectual growth of this city between 1868 (the September Revolution) and 1939 (the power seizure by Franco), which is the period the exhibition covers. Obviously, the most famous personalities are not forgotten (Picasso, Miro, Dali and Gaudi whose names appear on the front cover).

Now, the organization of the book is somewhat confusing. Divided into 9 chapters, from the Rebirth ("Renaixença")in the late 1860's to Modernism (seen through painting, sculpture, graphic arts, society, architecture and design)and "Noucentisme" (the classical renewal) up to the Avant-Gardes and the Civil War in the late 1930's, it follows a more or less chronological logic. However, the checklist of the artists, at the end of the book, is very confusing: it is very difficult to know the location of the paintings or works of art illustrated and you constantly have to refer to that list to have the dimensions of the works. Instead of a list by artists, I think a list by works displayed in the exhibition and illustrated in the book would have been more suitable.

On the whole, a scholarly publication, but a little difficult to follow.

Average customer rating:

Disappointing
A remarkable deck
Very Beautiful Deck, HIghly Recommended for Dali fans!
A Delightful Dalinian Delicacy
Extraordinary

Tarot Universal Dali
Juan Llarch
Manufacturer: U.S. Games Systems
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Cards

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ASIN: 0880790903

Book Description

Dali assembled and painted 78 collages in his unique surrealist vision. An incredible deck for historians, art lovers, and collectors. The cards have full gilt edges. Booklet of instructions in English, French, and Spanish. Deluxe packaging.

Customer Reviews:

Disappointing.......2007-05-06

I would like to clarify that in no way do I intend to denigrate the talents of the many artists who have devoted their energy and creativity to produce the many Tarot decks available. I would hope, however, that there is some agreement on the definition of a "great" artist beyond merely what pleases the viewer. Salvador Dali is considered one of the great artists of the 20th century, on a level above that of the other admittedly worthy artists who have created Tarot decks. Although I may be branded a snob for this, I mean no disrespect to anyone. However, if we cannot differentiate the historically significant from our own preferences, then we are not making a reasoned analysis, but merely expressing a personal opinion.

Another distinction is that some artists' work is in museums; others', in galleries. Dali is in the former group, while most Tarot artists would fall in the latter.

This, then, is the only Tarot deck created by a major artist in modern times, maybe in any time. Although many decks have been "inspired" by or based on the work of great painters, those artists did not originally intend their work to be used in the Tarot. And while a theory posits that the original Major Arcana figures were based on works by Giotto di Bondone, there is no record of Giotto himself having created a Tarot deck. Although many beautiful decks have been created since the first extant decks from the 1300s, from the original hand-painted Italian Renaissance decks, to the profusion of decks in the last century, for some reason the subject matter of the Tarot has not inspired the great painters of history.

Not being an artist myself, I can only speculate on the reasons for this. Perhaps when an artist reaches a certain level, they want to create something entirely original, rather than a personal version of an established form, like the Tarot. This may be why Dali's version was doomed to fail. As the "greatest" artist to attempt a version of the Tarot, he must be held to a higher standard than the others. The expectation is, given his enormous talent and creativity, this Tarot should have been the most beautiful, the most evocative, the most mysterious.

Unfortunately, that is not the case. We will never know whether the prospect of creating 78 original paintings was too daunting for him, but his choice to design this deck as a set of collages of other artists' work hints at an attempt to take a shortcut in the creative aspect. Again, I don't mean to imply that collage is not a valid art form - the Victoria Regina Tarot is a collage deck and one of the best decks available, in terms of beauty, and in its powerful suggestion of realms beyond the mundane.

The failure of the Dali Tarot is not the medium but the presentation. Any additional associations the paintings may have had are destroyed by the deliberately clumsy, hand-drawn pips, the juvenile defacements, and the utter lack of any coherent vision. Based as it is on the Rider-Waite imagery (and this is, by no means, a requirement for a modern Tarot deck), Dali's flippant attitude results in what can only be called a parody of a real deck. This by itself could be forgiven - one aspect of modern art, after all, has been to deflate the historical pomposity of "great art" in general. The execution brings the rating down to three stars. What lowers it to two is the ridiculous presentation: the pointless gilt edging and the absurd price tag. I have no way of knowing if this was Dali's idea or that of the publisher's; otherwise I would have given it one star. That, and also that there are many other far worse decks, and the single star rating should be reserved for them.

This deck, then, is nothing more than a curiosity: an overpriced parody done by that master of surrealism, taking its due place among the many novelty decks available. We deserved more from Dali.

A remarkable deck.......2004-07-14

This deck is a gorgeous item. It's absolutely perfect for any fan of Dali, because it gives them 78 original works of art to appreciate and delve into.

Someone with a lot of experiance in tarot reading would appreciate the original and insigtful symbolism that stays true to the tarot, as well as love gold rimming. The box is remarkable. Many people might discard the box for a cheaper deck and use their own, special way of storing them. With this deck, you wouldn't dare. The cards are very large, which means shuffling requires some getting used to, but the larger cards somehow seem more appropriate in a tarot reading.

The deck is primarily spanish, with english as a secondary (major arcana are labled in both languages, but face cards are only spanish, so it might be worth remembering the spanish words for page and knight before doing a reading.) The booklet included with the deck is printed in 4 languages, including french and german.

One note on the book: Don't rely on it. Dali's symbolism can be a bit overwealming and difficult to understand for someone new to the tarot, making this an intimidating deck for biginners. All the booklet has is the meanings of the major arcana and a small description the the symbolism dali was using for each of them. It also shows 3 spreads, but gives no information on how to read them. In fact the most useful fart of the booklet may be the 3 paragraph introduction. If you are a beginner and want a guide, use any book, teacher or online resource you choose to get you started, the included booklet would be insufficient.

For an experianced Tarot reader, this is sure to be a delightful deck.

Very Beautiful Deck, HIghly Recommended for Dali fans!.......2004-07-13

This Tarot deck looks stunning. The Gold Boarders add to the awe of Dali's Paintings. If you like Dali Art these cards are a must for you. If you do not actually use the cards it might be a smart idea to just get the Salvador Dali Tarot Book by Rachel Pollack as everycard is beautifully printed in full size on a full page. That way you not only get to see the cards but also get a little explanation of each. If you cant find the book, get these cards!! Highly Recommended!! Great Deck!!

A Delightful Dalinian Delicacy.......2002-06-10

As a Dali fan and tarot reader, I find these cards to be a sheer joy to view, ponder and read. This deck is a prize for any Dali fan. They are beautiful as well as puzzling. They are not easy to read and shuffle, but it can be done. There appears to be plenty of attitude around this deck. And why not? Dali, after all, was all about attitude. There is a companion book by Rachel Pollack that is good to own if you wish to study these cards. It is out of print, but can be found online.

Extraordinary.......2000-08-01

As a collector and reader of the Tarot for all of my many lives, this deck is the only one I can term exquisite. Each card is a major work of art...lots of gold and Dali's own personal touch. This deck is NOT for reading, although one could certainly do so. This deck is a 'fine wine', kept in the cellar, taken out only to ooooh and aaaah over when company comes. For the serious collector only, best kept corked!

Average customer rating:

Les diners de gala
Salvador Dali , and J. Peter Moore
Manufacturer: Felicie
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0960069216

Average customer rating:

Even better as a whole
Every Painting he did is here
Art of Dali
DALI at his best...........
dali in text and graphic

Dali (Mallard Fine Art Series)
Paul Moorhouse
Manufacturer: Thunder Bay Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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The Secret Life of Salvador Dali
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ASIN: 0792453263

Book Description

Almost half Dalí's illustrations in this book have rarely been seen

This publication presents the entire painted oeuvre of Salvador Dalí (1904-1989). After many years of research, Robert Descharnes and Gilles Néret finally located all the paintings of this highly prolific artist. Many of the works had been inaccessible for years - in fact so many that almost half the illustrations in this book have rarely been seen.

Customer Reviews:

Even better as a whole.......2006-02-04

The value of this book is in its 1600+ image reproductions. A few of them are photos of Dali or the people and places that inspired him. A very few show existing artworks to which Dali's creations responded. The overwhelming majority, however, display Dali's own paintings or the sketches related to them.

And the mass of imagery is overwhelming. The book traces Dali's output from his early, formative periods onwards. Although Dali was productive in the 1920s, his familiar style emerged in the 1930s and simply expanded for the next half-century. The chronological organization of this book lets us see Dali's art and personality develop. Among other things, we see how his sketching evolved from pen drawings early in his career to loose oil sketches later. This also seemed to complete some kind of cycle, from the relative crudity of his early work, to the crystalline finish of his best-known years, back to imprecision again, but with all of his mature expressiveness.

By its attempt at completeness, this presents aspects of Dali that other authors often ignore. For example, Dali was profoundly influenced by Catholic Christianity. Although his personal beliefs may be difficult to fathom, he produced some of the most beautiful images of Christ ever created.

Descharne's commentary supports the images well, but it's hard to read. I don't mean that the text is badly written - quite the opposite, it is very helpful, especially in biographical notes that describe Dali's life at the time of each work. Instead, I mean that my thoughts can't stay on the words for long when the pictures take such command of my attention.

//wiredweird

Every Painting he did is here.......2005-08-01

Every painting he did is here. They list the paintings in chrnological order. Each painting is titled and they describe some of the paintings throughout the book. In the back tehy list the size of the painting and what it was painted on if you want to know that stuff. Overall there are 1648 paintings or images. This book is great.

Art of Dali.......2004-03-22

I liked the book. The mix of explanations of the painting and his life was very descriptive. I learned a lot about his friends and famliy. The book just reminds me that in every genius there's a lunatic.

DALI at his best..................2004-02-21

After collecting, selling and trading Dali art works for more than 30 years, Mr. Robert Descharnes, one of Dali's past secretaries, has outdone himself in this magnificent book. Without a doubt it will become a collectors classic and a must for any serious Dali admirer. Well worth its price in gold!!!!!

dali in text and graphic.......2003-07-28

a beautifully sized book that contained excellent text about the painter's life and superb reproductions of his work in the book

Average customer rating:

Certainly Original
A Struggle to get Through
Fictitious? It Doesn't Matter...
simply amazing!!! a true reading experience never to forget.
A mess

The Secret Life of Salvador Dali
Salvador Dali
Manufacturer: Dover Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0486274543

Book Description

This startling early autobiography takes Dalí through his late 30s and "communicates the snobbishness, self-adoration, comedy, seriousness, fanaticism, in short the concept of life and the total picture of himself (Dalí) sets out to portray" — Books. Superbly illustrated with over 80 photographs and scores of Dalí drawings and sketches.

Customer Reviews:

Certainly Original.......2007-08-21

So original and bizarre, the first half of the book should be made into a movie.

A Struggle to get Through.......2007-07-31

the book had a little of everything. Salvador Dali can be an interesting writer, and some sections of the book demonstrate this. The early chapters of the book covering his childhood are difficult to trudge through between irrational events and memories and ones that seem plausible. It is not a very good autobiography for recording ones milestones, but I suppose it recorded things that appealed and became ingrained in Dali to become motifs in his art, such as crutches for instance. As the book progressed Dali's philosophy became a little more clear and the book a little more interesting, especially as he and his wife Gala visited America and the world was prepping for World War II. All in all, I would rather have read a straight forward Dali biography than his convoluted auto-biography. You have to be a very tolerant reader to put up episodes that are difficult to visualizse or understand and to keep asking yourself, "Is this true or is Dali dreaming it up?"

Fictitious? It Doesn't Matter... .......2006-05-21

I know Dali well enough to know that this book is largely embellishments and his imagination running wild. But it just doesn't matter because this book, like his art, is brilliant. The purpose of reading an autobiography is to learn about he author, and we do plenty of learning in this case. The parts about his childhood and his early love life are the best. The portions about his opportunistic wife are the dullest.

simply amazing!!! a true reading experience never to forget........2005-08-03

considering my obsession with dali, you readers may find that my comment will be somewhat biased...yes, this book is quite strange and exaggerated, but how and what would you expect dali ,this eccentric artist to write? when you read this book, you get the feel of dali...whether his narcissim or egotism, you do not have to take him too seriously...he loved to shock and contradict in his life time , and naturally that was his goal with this book...its quite amusing really! a book that in my opinion must be read by dali lovers or haters.

A mess.......2004-06-27

This is not Dali revealing honestly about himself, his work, his life: This is 400 pages of Dali promoting Dali, being Daliesc: which means shocking people. This book covers a time period from his birth to the outbreak of World War II, at which time he was mostly known for being a shocking surrealist, not necessarily as a great painter yet. The book is used more to promote himself to the public at that time in his style of the time (shocking, unexpected, deviant) rather than reveal the secrets of his work and style. Heavy heavy influence of Freud and psychoanalysis; the text becomes so introverted and self-analytical that it is almost unreadable much of the time. There is a 4 page discussion of a piece of mucus on a bathroom wall; one page about the painting The Persistence of Memory. Somewhere along the first or second chapter you learn something about how his style developed, in the rest of the book you learn that he has a huge ego and a nasty cruel streak, to the point where you really start to dislike him as a human. I have been to the Dali museum in Tampa, seen his works in other museums: He is a genius of a painter. This book is a waste of time unless you are truly truly die-hard. The reviewer who thought it was a comedy and laughed at every page has serious issues.

Average customer rating:

In reply to review no.1
not what I expected
A "must" for all Salvador Dali fans.

Dali's Optical Illusions

Manufacturer: Yale University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0300081774

Book Description

Fascinated with optical effects and visual perception, Salvador Dali created paintings of gripping intensity and astonishing variety. This book focuses on Dali`s use of such pictorial techniques as distorted perspective, double images, and three-dimensional illusions, as well as photographs and holograms, to explore perception, perspective, and the ways that optical illusion affects our sense of reality.

Customer Reviews:

In reply to review no.1.......2001-09-23

Hallucinagenic Toreador is a painting that can never leave the Salvador Dali Museum in St. Petersburg, Florida, and therefore could not, sadly, be included in the exhibition (and catalogue). Plenty of other double images were though.

not what I expected.......2001-07-25

I have an earlier book from author Ades that had text that was very good. I bought this book thinking Hallucenogenic Torreador would definately be in it- one of his most interesting optical illusions...and it wasn't in there!Pictures are big but I think she could have used more that she didnt. I sent it back as it wasnt worth $40... if it would have been in paperback and cheaper, I would have thought twice. Hope this helps.

A "must" for all Salvador Dali fans........2000-04-04

Dali's Optical Illusions is the first to probe Dali's fascination with optical effects and perception, packing in examples of Dali's works and commenting on his sources, inspiration, and methods. Accompanying discussions to each page of illustration comment on technique, inspiration, and visual impact of Deli's images. Highly recommended.

Average customer rating:

Riding Dali's Roller-Coaster

Dali
Dawn Ades
Manufacturer: Rizzoli International Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0847826732
Release Date: 2004-11-27

Book Description

Salvador Dalí is perhaps the most universally famous and popular artist of the twentieth century. On the occasion of the centenary of his birth comes the definitive retrospective of the artist's work from his early years. Dalí explores the development of the artist's technique and style, his relationship with the Surrealists, and his exploitation of Freudian ideas, as well as the image Dalí created of himself as the mad genius artist. This catalogue will be the major reference work for Dalí for decades to come. It includes illustrations of all the works loaned to the exhibition, as well as comparative illustrations and photographs.

The volume contains an introductory essay by Dawn Ades, with scholarly research incorporated in a "Dalí Dictionary," in the entries on individual works, and in the chronology, which includes a quantity of new material. The guide draws upon the best scholarship available on Dalí, including that of Hank Hine, Director of the Salvador Dalí Museum, Jennifer Mundy, Senior Curator of the Tate Museum, and Michael Taylor, Acting Chief Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art at the Philadelphia Museum of Art.

Customer Reviews:

Riding Dali's Roller-Coaster.......2005-02-23

As a college art major I developed a distaste for Dali and his art, even referring to him as a "pimp" in an essay. I was turned off by his commercialism and his overly-polished style. But over the years my opinion began to shift, and the major retrospective at the Philadelphia Museum of Art has completely renovated my appreciation for the man and his art.

This huge and handsome tome is the catalogue for the Philly retrospective, and includes hundreds of color images along with insights into the thought behind the imagery. The book takes you through his youthful experiments in post-impressionism and cubism (there are a few works you'd swear were by Picasso!), into his affiliation with Surrealism, his development of his personal "paranoiac-critical" method, and his later interests in physics and conversion to Catholicism. The middle section of the book and exhibit includes hundreds of his best-known and most widely-admired paintings, but surprises abound in the early and later sections, with works most people never knew he created.

What struck me most in the show and the book was how thoroughly dedicated Dali was to his art, and how intellectually involved his work was. His draughtsmanship was also so acute as to defy belief. I realize now that I was sold so completely on his posture as an eccentric personality, that I lost sight of the power of his art. But this show and book reveal how truly special and significant Dali was as an artist, art theorist, and explorer of the hinterlands of the mind and soul.

Average customer rating:

Dali's Mustache
Philippe Halsman
Manufacturer: Flammarion
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 2080304666
Release Date: 1996-01-15

Book Description

With 101 Life magazine covers to his credit, Philippe Halsman (1906-1979) was one of the leading portrait photographers of his time. In addition to his distinguished career in photojournalism, Halsman was one of the great pioneers of experimental photography, motivated by a profound desire to push this youngest of art forms toward new frontiers by using innovative and unorthodox photographic techniques.

One of Halsman's favorite subjects was Salvarod Dali, the glittering and controversial painter and theorist with whom the photographer shared a unique friendship and extraordinary professional collaboration that spanned over thirty years. Whenever Dali imagined a photograph so strange that its production seemed impossible, Halsman tried to find the solution, and invariably succeeded.

As Halsman explains in his postface, Dali's Mustache is the fruit of this marriage of the minds. The jointly conceived and seemingly nonsensical questions and answers reveal the gleeful humor and assumed cynicism for which Dali is famous, while the marvelous and inspired images of Dali's mustache brilliantly display Halsman's consummate skill and extraordinary inventiveness as a photographer.

This combination of wit, absurdity, and the offhandedly profound is irresistible and has contributed to the enduring fascination inspired by this unique photographic interview, which has become a cult classic and valuable collector's item since its original publication in 1954. The present volume faithfully reproduces the first edition and will introduce a new generation to the irreverent humor and imaginative genius of two great artists.

The Persistence of Memory: A Biography of Dali

Average customer rating:

The memory man

The Persistence of Memory: A Biography of Dali
Meredith Etherington-Smith
Manufacturer: Da Capo
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0306806622

Customer Reviews:

The memory man.......2001-11-01

Surrealists said that someone who came up with something out of the ordinary must have been in love with Gala Eluard: her husband Salvador Dali's unforgettable imagery, from early autobiographical works through Surrealist dream symbols to metaphysical and religious themes, drew into the art world people who had been uninterested in painting. Perhaps he revealed the secret of his appeal when he said that he drew just one picture, mixing what happened to him and in the world with eternal themes from his childhood, such as the threatening father in "The old age of William Tell." Some childhood memories found expression in Hieronymus Bosch-styled decaying soft objects, as in "The persistence of memory." With "Cenicitas" and "La miel es mas dulce que la sangre," he launched his psychoanalytically symbolic art by following the Surrealist ideal of uncensored and uncontrolled imagery, knowing what to apply from Sigmund Freud's "The interpretation of dreams," and using sleepwalking shadows, Joaquin Sorolla-type light, and jewel-like clear colors. One of his hallmarks became pictures with multiple images: "The endless enigma" double, triple and quadruple imaging into such disturbing visions as a fish skeleton balanced on top of a stick and Gala's eyes staring cruelly out at viewers; "The image disappears" double imaging a Jan Vermeer-styled girl into a bearded man; "The metamorphosis of Narcissus" double imaging Narcissus into a petrified hand holding an egg cracking into a narcissus, with Sandro Botticelli-type dancing figures and Umbrian school-like golden glowing background; his metaphysical "Dali a six ans soulevant avec precaution la peau de l'eau pour observer un chien dormir a l'ombre de la mer" covering a dog with atomic reactor-type, mirrorlike heavy water and reflecting granite cliffs, in a Piero di Cosimo-styled seascape; one of his nuclear fission series, "The three sphinxes of Bikini," double imaging the atomic explosion into three heads, with one turning into two trees. Later, one of the high points in his religious paintings was floating a foreshortened "Christ of St John of the cross" over an early evening sky and above the rocks of the painter's homeland. From his fascination with three-dimensional art and as an exercise in the stereoscopy that he saw in Gerard Dou's art, he painted "Dali from the back painting Gala from the back externalized by six virtual corneas, provisionally reflected by six mirrors." And his final masterpiece Teatro museo Gala-Dali was a three-dimensional autobiography of all his ideas and images. Author Meredith Etherington-Smith reads magnificently with DALI'S OPTICAL ILLUSIONS edited by Dawn Ades and Robert Radford's DALI. Readers might want to look into Ruth Brandon's SURREAL LIVES, Sharon Fermor's PIERO DI COSIMO, Carl Linfert's BOSCH, Bruno Santi's BOTTICELLI, and Arthur K. Wheelock's JAN VERMEER.

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