Spotlight On: Salvador Dalí

Born in the Spanish town of Figueras, Dalí’s artistic talent was obvious from an early age. He studied at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Madrid but was expelled for being disruptive. Influenced by the work of Sigmund Freud, as well as the Surrealist movement, he developed a style of his own which blended great technical skill with vision and imagination. His most famous painting, The Persistence of Memory was created in 1931, and features melting clocks in a desolate landscape.

Bent and flowing clocks were a recurring theme of Dalí’s, as were displays of exhibitionism which he claimed fuelled his creativity. One of his most outrageous stunts saw him deliver a lecture at the London International Surrealist Exhibition in 1936 dressed in a diving suit. He was trying to demonstrate how he was 'plunging into the depths of the human mind' but almost suffocated instead.

From the late 1930s Dalí adopted a more traditional style which, along with his political views, saw him move away from the Surrealists. He relocated to America in 1940 where he remained for nearly a decade before moving back to Spain. In his old age he became a recluse but his eccentric public image, iconic upturned moustache and vivid, impossible worlds he'd created and which he described as ‘hand-painted dream photographs’ have ensured he’s still very much remembered today.

Mountain Lake, 1938

This oil painting was created by Dalí in 1938 and can be seen in the 'Contested Terrains' section of Forbidden Territories. This section brings together works with distorted or unsettling landscapes and which respond to political and social tensions.

Many Surrealists lived through the trauma of the First World War (1914-1918) and Spanish Civil War (1936-1939). As the dark clouds of conflict gathered over Europe many of them rejected the logic of an 'old order' that had led to so much destruction. A number of them also drew on childhood memories and experiences. This is a work that has echoes of both the private and public.

Mountain Lake features a lake that Dalí's parents visited after the death of his brother who was also called Salvador and passed away about nine months before he was born. Although he never met him, Dalí was haunted by his older sibling. Although it shows a scenic view there is a very gloomy feel to the painting. Two crutches can be seen in the foreground and the crutch was a symbol often used by Dalí to represent death. The black telephone receiver seems at odds with the landscape behind it with its cord that has been cut and leads to nowhere. Many believe this is a reference to British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain's failed diplomacy with Hitler.

You can see Mountain Lake by Salvador Dalí in ‘Forbidden Territories: 100 Years of Surreal Landscapes’. The exhibition is on display until the end of Sunday 7 September. Opening hours are 10am-5pm Tuesday-Sunday. Entry is free and there's no need to book.