The Joy of Traveling: Dalí Museum

"A true artist is not one who is inspired, but one who inspires others" - Salvador Dalí

This winter break, I flew to the Sunshine State and became a sunflower, soaking up all of the sunlight I could before I had to return to the rain and cold.

In Florida, I explored the surreal Dalí Museum and was completely blown away! Not only was the building's architecture complex and unique, but the Dalí paintings on display captured the very essence of human dreams and imagination. I became immersed in the countless abstract concepts and optical illusions Dalí presented-- one of my favorites is a portrait of Dalí's wife, Gala, that resembles Abraham Lincoln when looked at from twenty feet away.

What impressed me the most, however, was the Dalí Alive 360° Exhibit in The Dalí Dome. The immersive experience of being surrounded by abstract and vibrant art, music, and learning about the inspirations behind Dalí's art was a truly out of this world experience. In my endeavor to not miss a single painting or quote from Dalí, I remember constantly looking around, amazed by the breathtaking paintings and melting clocks that covered every inch of the dome, even the floor! Once, by chance, I happened to look down, and I saw Dalí's trademark ants crawling across the floor by my feet.

Each musical soundtrack fit perfectly with Dalí's paintings, and I was pleasantly surprised to find that Isolde's Liebestod from the opera Tristan & Isolde was included in the soundtracks as well!

(Check out my blog post on Isolde's Liebestod here! https://alexiszou07.wixsite.com/selfcare/post/a-reflection-isolde-s-liebestod)

I also loved how Dalí's paintings came alive in the dome; I was fascinated by how Dalí's signature clocks melted like cheese, how each distorted human figure stretched and convulsed, and how Dalí's rhinoceros tentatively balanced on its stilts. It felt like I was a dreamer wandering in a maze of surrealism and color, experiencing what it was like in Dalí's imagination, for Dalí himself believed that dreams were central to human thought.

"One day it will have to be officially admitted that what we have christened reality is an even greater illusion than the world of dreams" - Salvador Dalí

Links:

https://thedali.org https://thedali.org/exhibit/dali-alive-360/