I must admit that there are many of his pieces that I find personally too disturbing or too violent. That being said, there are very few pieces of his that I really appreciate and can connect with. My all-time favorite is easily 'The Metamorphosis of Narcissus'. This painting speaks volumes in my own life and as a teenager transitioning into my twenties and motherhood, I found this painting to offer me solace in times of chaos. I have a copy hanging in my room to my left and I enjoy a meditative gaze into it's stillness every now and then. My relationship to this work is very Zen (if Zen could actually fit its awesome presence into a 3 letter word - thinking of Shakespeare's 'what's in a name, a rose by any other name would smell just as sweet')...
After looking through volumes of his works (he has a massive collection), I realized that I really ever loved one other piece of his. Don't get me wrong, most of his work is fantastic, but a lot of it has a sharpness to it and I am not so into bleeding right now. Yes, as art goes, it does it's job (if art must have a job). It evokes emotion, sometimes emotions that I don't want to, or don't know how to process without feeling negative.
I kick myself for missing the Dali exhibit in 2005 at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. I bought tickets and everything but chickened out at the last minute (probably due to anxiety).
Either way, he is an amazing artist with a vision that probably can never be fully replicated in either scope or expression. There is something completely unique and otherworldly about his work. I've seen people's attempts at reproductions of his work, and some come very close to his essence, but there really is no use in trying to recreate essence. Essence is born of human vision and comes completely unique in every set of eyes. Enough babble, here are favorites I mentioned. Enjoy!
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