Just Being Dali: The Story of Artist Salvador Dali by Amy Guglielmo

In this picture book, the unusual life of Salvador Domingo Felipe Jacinto Dali i Domenech is presented. He was born in a seaside town in northern Spain.

Salvador liked to dream. When he was six years old, his budding creativity showed itself in his desire to be a cook. However, his father, tired of Salvador's messes, put an end to that. So Salvador startd pretending he was a king, but this also was discouraged by his father.

Salvador was a quiet, shy boy who liked to play alone and wear his king costume to school. This led to being teased by the other students. Instead of doing his lessons, Salvador spent his time in class doodling. When he became ill, his parents sent him to recover at the home of artist Ramon Pichot. While there, Salvador received lessons from Pichot on how to paint. Salvador realized that being an artist would allow him to be who he wanted to be. It was Pichot who persuaded Salvador's father to make him a studio.

 

In his new studio, Salvador sketched and painted the visions in his head and portraits of family and friends.. Eventually he went to study at the art academy in Madrid. There he continued his odd ways, growing his hair long and wearing elegant clothing. But his art won over the other students who became his friends.

At the art academy, Salvador first worked on imitating the techniques of the art masters. Soon he wanted to try something different. So when he was asked to do a painting of the sculpture of a woman he painted a pair of scales. His unwillingness to follow the rules saw Salvador expelled from the academy. Despite this he continued to make are, creating unique paintings. He moved to Paris where he met similar minded artists who combined fantasy and reality in their work. They called themselves surrealists. This was just the beginning for Salvador Dali who would find the support he needed to create some of the most unique and strange art ever.

Discussion

Just Being Dali tells the story of surrealist painter, Salvador Dali. The focus is on Salvador's unique way of looking at the world, even as a child, that led him ultimately to his passion as an artist. Despite encouragement from his parents and teachers to follow the rules and conform, Dali was determined to do things differently. His way involved painting the world as he saw it, using a mixture of reality and fantasy and this led him into the surrealist movement in 1929. The overriding lesson in Just Being Dali is for children to discover who they are and to be themselves, not what others might want them to be.

Illustrator Brett Helquist's artwork, done in oil,  recreates a few of Salvador Dali's more famous works while also helping to tell his story. This picture book includes a detailed Author's Note that offers a bit more information on Salvador Dali, a Selected Bibliography as well as a list of art recreated in the book.

Book Details:

Just Being Dali: The Story of Artist Salvador Dali by Amy Guglielmo

New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons        2021