Salvador Dalí Paper
For this paper you are asked to visit the exhibition at the Wadsworth Atheneum on "Dalí's Optical Illusions." (Refer to the brochure that you were given for the hours that it is open, and call ahead at 278-2670 to ask about the availability of tickets. Explain that you are a University of Hartford student, even though it may make no difference.) Tour the exhibition and enjoy what you see. The headphone guides may be of some use. Consider as you are touring how the works you see fit into the concerns of Surrealism as you are coming to know them.
Choose one work from the exhibition on which to write your paper. there are no restrictions on which work you choose. You should consider the work of art that you choose in relation to two primary questions:
• How does it support or deny Breton's Surrealist principles? (Now to do this well, you need to consider the date of your work of art in relation to the dates of Breton's changing ideas as reflected in his publications).
• In what ways does the work make a strong appeal to the general spectator by pleasing him or her?
After you have written your answers to these questions (in preliminary draft form), conclude for yourself how really Surrealist the work is. Send me these drafts by email BY WEDNESDAY, MARCH 1, and I will give you feedback before you go further.
In answering these questions, you will certainly want to take into account Dalí's use of optical illusions (i.e. visual techniques), but you may also want to refer to his particular manipulation of the medium, his iconography, his reliance on the theories of Freud or other significant writers, and his own theoretical writings. In some cases a formal analysis of your work might help your understanding of his technique or his intentions, or the work's effect.
The catalogue for the exhibition will be on reserve for your reference. Each work of art is discussed in a catalogue entry. Your paper should acknowledge that entry (with an appropriate citation), but should not rely on it too heavily and certainly not exclusively. Other books will be put on reserve for your use. The list of books on reserve will be attached to the syllabus web site for this course by next week.
You paper should be 750 to 1000 words in length (this is approximately
3-4 pages of normal double-spaced 10 pt. font text). Your bibliography
and citations should be on an extra page. Your paper should be grammatically
correct and proofread for spelling errors. Bibliography and citations
should follow MLA or University of Chicago style sheets (available in the
library or the bookstore, or maybe even on line). The paper should
be stapled and the pages numbered. It will be due on March 7 as listed
on the syllabus.