Salvador Dalí, master of surrealism and spectacle, did not only excel in creating unforgettable images of melting watches and dreamlike landscapes. He also left behind intriguing insights on what it means to live creatively. In the first chapter of his book 50 Secrets of Magic Craftsmanship, Dalí offers ten unconventional guidelines that speak to his personal philosophy of art-making, a fusion of mysticism, discipline and wit. While the guidelines are intended for painters, their wisdom speaks to anyone with a creative streak.
'Meditative Rose', 1958
1. "Artist, better be rich than poor; learn to work with the brush in such a way that under it gold and jewels are born."
Here, Dalí wryly reminds us that financial comfort is no enemy of art. The romantic notion of the starving artist is, in reality, a barrier to creativity. For Dalí, a true artist must learn to generate value through their craft. This isn’t just about painting well – it’s about creating works so captivating that they possess the richness of gold and jewels. Beauty should not just be in the eye of the beholder, but in the value it commands.
2. "Painters should not fear perfection. They will never achieve it."
Perfection is the ghost that haunts every artist. Dalí strips this ghost of its power. Perfection is impossible, he says, but in the very act of chasing it, we become more precise and inspired in our creations. Accepting the unattainability of this ideal liberates the artist, allowing them to approach their work with fearless experimentation.
3. "First of all, learn to paint like the old masters. Then you’ll be able to paint the way you want (like yourself) and everyone will respect you."
This is perhaps Dalí’s most traditional and paradoxically most rebellious piece of advice. He believed that true innovation in art only emerges from an initial mastery of tradition. Dalí revered the old painters and understood that to find an individual, original voice an artist must first stand on their shoulders. To break the rules with purpose, you must learn them with rigour.
'Atomic Leda', 1949
4. "Don’t lose your eyes, hands and especially your head – to become a painter you will need them."
Dalí’s humour sparkles here, but beneath it lies the truth that the artist’s tools are not just external. It’s not just the brush but the eyes that see, the hands that craft and the mind that conceives that are crucial to the painter’s practice. Losing touch with these is losing touch with creation itself. Protect your vision, your dexterity, and above all, your imagination.
5. "If you are one of these who think that contemporary art has overcome Vermeer and Raphael’s art, do not read this book but remain in the state of blissful idiotism where you belong."
Dalí’s disdain for certain strains of modern art is evident. He challenges the pretension of some contemporary artists who, in his eyes, dismiss the greatness of the past. This guideline is not just a condemnation of arrogance – it’s a challenge to those who think progress means the abandonment of foundations. To Dalí, genius transcends time; it is not surpassed by the new, but rather echoed in different ways.
6. "Don’t be ignorant in the art of painting otherwise after your death the art of painting will ignore you."
This is Dalí’s call to mastery – knowledge of craft, technique and history is essential to an artist’s legacy. If the painter doesn’t respect the art form by knowing its depths the art form will, in turn, show no respect or remembrance of the painter.
7. "Laziness doesn’t bear masterpieces!"
Here is Dalí’s steely work ethic beneath his eccentric persona. Great art demands toil, obsession, repetition, a relentless drive. Nothing of substance was ever conjured by laziness. Art requires discipline even amidst the surrealistic freedom he so often portrayed.
8. "Artist, paint!"
Simple but urgent. Art is action. Thinking, dreaming and talking are not enough. To be an artist is to engage with the medium continually. Dalí demands commitment. Do not just identify as an artist – paint!
9. "Artist, do not drink alcohol and (for all your life) do not smoke hashish more than 5 times."
This guideline strikes a blow against the romanticised image of the artist lost in intoxication. Dalí was no stranger to indulgence yet he also insisted on moderation when it came to substances. He saw losing himself in drugs and alcohol as a distraction from the real high of the act of creation. Art should be created from clarity, not confusion.
10. "If the art of painting does not love you, all your love for it will be pointless."
Dalí’s final piece of advice is probably the most abstruse. Art is not just something created, it is a relationship. Like a capricious lover, it must respond to the artist’s passion and skill, else all devotion is in vain. A connection is to develop between artist and artwork. If the muse does not bless you, no amount of technical skill or ambition will suffice.
Far from simple technical instructions, Dalí’s meditations are a reminder that to be an artist is to engage in a lifelong affair with the craft. It’s an affair that demands not only talent but relentless dedication, respect for tradition and a fiery love.
These rules don't just tell you how to become a better artist. They tell you what it means to live like an artist and this understanding is accessible to everyone inclined to experience life creatively.
'Swans Reflecting Elephants', 1937
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