This week from the Cat’s Eye:

As we all know, Salvador Dali was a painter of oddities and the surreal. His imagery evokes the subconscious, and comments on the bridge between suggestive interpretation and realism. What many don’t know, is that Dali was not only a painter, but a lover of the moving image and spent much of his career collaborating on films and eventually making his own. What better place to feature an exhibit which explores the two mediums (painting and film) than Los Angeles; where Dali’s career took off as a Hollywood icon in his own right. I recently made a visit to LACMA to check out the exhibit.
I have always had mixed feelings concerning the work of Salvador Dali. Is it possible to overstate the surreal? I find myself conflicted every time I see the work. Because, although he is a technical genius, and his images can affect even the most base individual; I find the work to be problematic and often uninspired. Meaning, he seems to take a very calculated approach to creating work that is intended to be infinitely interpretable. Therefore, I find myself feeling empty at most of it. (And on a side note, a little pissy about his understanding of light and color…jerk)
I originally went to LACMA to check out the film series running this month. Some of my favorite experimental films are slated on the calendar. At this point I hadn’t realized that it was in conjunction with the Dali exhibit. After exiting the screening of Bunuel’s “Un Chien Andelou” I noticed of small LACMA brochure on a table. And then of course looked around a realized…ahhh…Dali. Duh. Two days later I came back to take a look. And, dare I say, I approve? Because I do. In fact, I would highly recommend forking out the $17 (for non-members) and battling the crowds. It is, in the end, quite worth it.
Due to my background in experimental film studies, I was already educated in Dali’s film work…however, the co-curators of this exhibition did a fantastic job in illustrating Dali’s career in relation to Hollywood and the moving image. We of course see some of the more famous pieces as well, but the most interesting part is the thorough collection of works specifically designed for the film medium. I had only seen the films themselves. It is a rarity to see the works screened, especially in LA, and on film no less. So when given the opportunity to see the inception of some of these films through sketches, paintings and writings…it is a real treat.
The layout of the exhibition allows the viewer to connect the moving images to the other works and perhaps identify Dali’s perspective; more so than seeing the paintings alone. My argument is that these sweeping dream-like landscapes are not as full of infinite possibility as one might think. The precision defines the illusion rather than creating it…somehow. Film however, did something different for Dali; and enhancement of sorts. Dali’s seemingly borderless paintings become truly borderless when you can see his mind evolve his imagination into something more tangible.
I won’t go so far as to say that the exhibition has changed my opinion of Salvador Dali’s work, however, it has enabled me to see the whole picture. I still find the work to be sort-of contradictory in intention and realization. The moving image though, seemed to be the real home for Dali. The capacity to translate from one medium to another with fluidity is obvious here. That’s where Dali’s precision must be applauded. The subject matter he explored on canvas needed to bleed off the canvas and move in and out of “real life”. Film allowed that phenomenon to occur for Dali. I question whether he became bored with painting and saw it only as a means to an end. The Bunuel films are unquestionably the most successful and telling of Dali’s capabilities, however, his Hollywood introduction certainly did something interesting as well.
It is impossible to tell what would have become of Dali had his interest in the modern not gone into the realm of Hollywood. However, it is fair to say that he certainly pursued one of his biggest fascinations and came out on the winning end of the stick.
I highly recommend viewing the exhibition, which runs through January 6th, 2008. In addition, take advantage of the rare opportunity to view some of the most exciting cinema in European Surrealism and American Avant-Garde.

Visit www.lacma.org for details.

by Cate Nelson