Marbella and Salvador Dalí

August 21, 2014 by Cindi 23 Comments

On occasional Thursdays I’ve published various “paintings and photographs” posts, and showcased a photo that I’ve taken of a Norwegian view along with a painting in which an artist captured a similar perspective.

Today’s post is somewhat within that theme, except it’s not a Norwegian painter or photo. But it *is* an artist and it *is* a photograph(s) … but not a perspective. It’s photos of sculptures created by the Spanish artist Salvador Dalí.

Dalí. Just saying his name brings up a vision of bizarre dreams and melting clocks … but there’s so much more to his life. A synopsis, from Biography:

Salvador Dalí was born on May 11, 1904, in Figueres, Spain. From an early age, Dalí was encouraged to practice his art and would eventually go on to study at an academy in Madrid. In the 1920s, he went to Paris and began interacting with artists such as Picasso, Magritte and Miró, which led to Dalí’s first Surrealist phase. He is perhaps best known for his 1931 painting The Persistence of Memory, showing melting clocks in a landscape setting. The rise of fascist leader Francisco Franco in Spain led to the artist’s expulsion from the Surrealist movement, but that didn’t stop him from painting. Dalí died in Figueres in 1989.

(Visit his page on Biography to read the complete story and view several interesting videos.)

While walking around Marbella during our trip to Spain last week we discovered a little gem: the Avenida Del Mar. It was unexpected and delightful, and I enjoyed walking and photographing. Sculptures, flowers, benches, shade, views of the Mediterranean: an oasis of calm in an area of tourists. It was so peaceful.

Except, as I looked closer at the sculptures I saw they were created by Salvador Dalí depicting a few of his surrealistic visions. Not calm at all! But the overall effect was. For me, the representation of disturbing dreams against the larger, more present backdrop of seagulls, warmth, color, sunshine, water, people, and real life created a unique and interesting mixture. I could have wandered there for hours.

Once home, I researched a bit about the Avenida Del Mar. This is what I found on the Arts & Culture section of Expatica:

The Avenida del Mar, which is the main walkway between the town centre and the Paseo Maritimo, is home to a collection of 10 of Dalí’s sculptures, cast in bronze and signed by the man himself. With its fountains, cafes and fabulous sea views, it’s the perfect place to admire his work and while away a few pleasant hours. … It wasn’t always like this though; several years ago the old Parque de la Alameda was a run down and virtually abandoned area, which was crying out for redevelopment. As part of his programme of improvements around Marbella, former mayor Jesus Gil arranged for the purchase of the collection of Dalí statues. They were to form the centrepiece of the newly redeveloped park, along with a series of fountains, landscaped areas and benches. A gleaming marble floor was then installed and the result of the work is what residents and visitors to the town now enjoy every day. Each of the sculptures bears a name plaque and a Dalí signature … and has all the surrealist hallmarks of his most famous works.

I meandered down the plaza for quite a while, camera in hand and eyes taking in the statues and surroundings. Although, because of the bright sun and my limited point-and-shoot camera my photos don’t show the detail very well, perhaps they’ll give you an impression of the area?

The first statue from the town end of the park is Perseo, depicting the beheading of Medusa by the mythological Greek hero Perseus: