A review of "Salvador Dali: Eccentric and Genius" by Conroy Maddox
I admit that I have a soft spot for Salvador Dali, but
hey, we all have a frivolous side, don't we? I mean, the guy's paintings have
titles like “The Ghost of Vermeer of Delft Which Can Be Used As a Table”,
“Atmospheric Skull Sodomizing a Grand Piano” and “Skull with Its Lyric
Appendage Leaning on a Night Table which Should Have the Exact Temperature of a
Cardinal's Nest”. The painting at the front cover of this edition of Conroy
Maddox' book on Dali is called “The Pharmacist of Ampurdan in Search of
Absolutely Nothing”.
Yet, when all is said and done, it feels as if we have all been conned by the flamboyant Spaniard to participate in a wild goose chase in search of, well, absolutely nothing. We haven't even found the cardinal's nest.
Maddox' book actually proves what I long suspected: yes, the man (Dali, that is) was very close to clinical, and essentially painted his own demons. They seem to have lasted a life time! Why a guy who projects his own madness onto a canvass can become super-famous in our enlightened times is, of course, an interesting question. I give this book five stars for the reproductions of Dali's artworks (both paintings and some sculptures or gizmos are included), but I admit that the more psychedelic parts of the Akasha aren't really my thing, except as lighter Friday afternoon entertainment...
Yet, when all is said and done, it feels as if we have all been conned by the flamboyant Spaniard to participate in a wild goose chase in search of, well, absolutely nothing. We haven't even found the cardinal's nest.
Maddox' book actually proves what I long suspected: yes, the man (Dali, that is) was very close to clinical, and essentially painted his own demons. They seem to have lasted a life time! Why a guy who projects his own madness onto a canvass can become super-famous in our enlightened times is, of course, an interesting question. I give this book five stars for the reproductions of Dali's artworks (both paintings and some sculptures or gizmos are included), but I admit that the more psychedelic parts of the Akasha aren't really my thing, except as lighter Friday afternoon entertainment...
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