As an artist, Salvador Dali was not limited to a specific style or media. He was constantly growing and changing throughout his surrealist and classical periods. Dali was a self-proclaimed genius and a bold visualizer. He lived his life as an experimental game and understood the significance of living in the moment, both key elements to being a nonconformist. Salvador Dali, as a nonconformist, chose to stand out, making the conscious decision to do whatever it was that he wanted to do at that moment, no matter what everyone else said. For example, in 1926, Dali was expelled from an art academy after claiming that nobody there was competent enough to judge him. When everyone else told him that he was doing things wrong, he turned around and told them they …show more content…
were amateurs.
While appearing in “The Students’ Residence” in 1922, Dali was already showing his eccentric style.
He was seen with long hair, sideburns, an unusual choice in clothing, and his trademark curved mustache, which was influenced by a Spanish painter from the 17th century. We can see from his courage and lack of hesitation in his fashion and style that Dali rarely felt shame over the choices that he made. Like a real, straight-to-the-point nonconformist, Dali knew that the opinions of other people didn’t matter. He walked with his head held high and didn’t care what others thought of him. He was bold and unique, creating an image so distinct it is recognized decades
later.
Salvador Dali was seen as a leader in the surrealist movement. He followed a theory of automatism created by Andre Breton but later tapped into his own style of irrational knowledge. Although he followed and was influenced by another artist, he was able to branch away and create his own interpretation of the term. Nonconformists do this all the time. Like Dali, they study, learn, and pick up traits from others but in the end, tend to branch away from the original form and create an entirely new one.
Salvador Dali is a good example of nonconformity because he was an original, unique, and motivated artist. He is famous for always evolving and pushing past his boundaries and limits. Even though he followed and was influenced by other artists, Dali always found a way to shift things around and make his art more fitting toward his perspective and style. He never succumbed into what everyone else was doing and, instead, chose to defy the public’s opinion and go in the opposite direction.