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Written by Patti Heiser
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Thursday, 27 November 2008 |
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A couple weeks ago through our Stories of Salvador Dalí weekly series, we began to venture and analyze the relationship between Federico Garcia Lorca and Salvador Dalí. After exhibiting the foundation of knowledge required to get you aquainted with both men and their bond to each other, we now display a handful of letters that were passed between them. What do the letters prove? Do they make the full extent of their relationship obvious enough to determine? Stay tuned for part two!
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During the course of their friendship, Salvador Dalí and Federico Garcia Lorca exchanged many letters. Some of these letters have been preserved and made available to the public. While there are 27 letters from Dalí to Lorca, sadly there are only five letters from Lorca to Dalí. It is possible to trace the path of their relationship through these letters.
Our house has held on to a little of your precious friendship. This year the Divine Shepherdess of Cadaqués has blossomed once again on the white wall. Every morning this Andalusian “Rosseau” cheers me up and reminds me of our rooms and our populars at the Residencia de Estudiantes.
(excerpt letter Dalí to Lorca, June 1925)
[ More letters after the jump! ] |
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Written by The LA Team
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Wednesday, 26 November 2008 |
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It's Wednesday and time for another round of Little Ashes trivia questions. Didn't get the questions right last time? Have no fear, you can always try again! After attempting this series of trivia, don't forget to vote on our new poll!
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A) Prior to becoming an actor, what did Javier Beltrán study?
B) Federico Garcia Lorca, Salvador Dalí, and Luis Buñuel are known to be a part of what group of artists?
C) Who once said, “Have no fear of perfection - you'll never reach it,” Lorca, Dalí, or Buñuel?
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[ Get the answers after the cut! ]
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Written by Chanelle Elisabeth
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Tuesday, 25 November 2008 |
Chanelle, our newest recruited writer, resumes her bi-weekly series on the exploration and progression of Dalí’s artistic ventures, explicating his artistry in the 1920s. The death of his mother acted as a catalyst, persuading Dalí to abscond out into the world to discover himself and experiment with Cubism. Stay tuned for more of Chanelle’s interpretation on Dalí’s inventive and creative development.
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The secret of my influence has always been that it remained secret.
~ Salvador Dalí
The above quote made by Dalí is most appropriate when put into context with this next chapter of his life. It was during this period that Dalí first met poet/writer Federico Garcia Lorca; this is also a time which is commonly referred to by some as the “Lorca years.” During these years is where the majority of the film Little Ashes casts its focus. It continues to be a time in Dalí’s life which remains ensconced in speculation.
We last left off with Dalí’s first exhibition in 1919 in his hometown of Figueres, Spain. To reiterate, it was at this phase in his life that Dalí was anxious to break free from his life in Figueres, as well as the constant scrutiny of his father. Dalí felt that at this point there was nothing left in his childhood town which would help the development or establishment of his self as a serious artist. Yet it would take another two years before Dalí finally left Figueres. Moving ahead to the year 1921, Dalí faced one of the most devastating moments of his life thus far.
[ Pictured above: Dalí's "Cubist Self Portrait", 1923 ] |
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Written by Victor Marzowicz-Velasquez
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Monday, 24 November 2008 |
Following the lack of encouragement and support from Dalí and Buñuel, his so-called friends, Lorca continues on his own journey sans his two friends, leading Lorca to the city that never sleeps, New York, and a visit to Cuba. It is in New York where Lorca exemplifies the expression “art imitates life”, ever so artistically. In this first part of two, Victor establishes Lorca’s motive behind his travels and the idealistic creativity that inevitably results.
Gaining more inquisitive about Lorca, including his endeavors and achievements? Visit Victor's blog for more information.
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As we covered last week, Dalí had joined Buñuel in Paris, and from their identically worded denunciations of The Gypsy Ballads, it seemed clear he wouldn’t be coming back. So, Lorca embarked on what would be a passionate but brief and tumultuous affair with sculptor Emilio Aladrén Perojo. In late 1928, Aladrén left Lorca for an Englishwoman whom he would later marry. To make matters worse, Lorca had heard that Dalí and Buñuel were collaborating the film Un Chien Andalou (The Andalusian Dog), the title of which alone seemed a direct attack, to say nothing of the imagery he would read about following the film’s riotous premiere. Lorca fell into a deep, nearly suicidal, depression.
Friend-of-the-family Fernando de los Rios would be teaching Spanish literature at Columbia University’s summer session in 1929, and Lorca’s family felt a change of scenery would do him good, so arranged for him to accompany his mentor to New York City to to study English. Lorca arrived at the end of June 1929, and would stay for ten months, followed by a two month lecture tour of Cuba. It would be the most pivotal year of his life, and would yield his two most important works: Poet in New York, and his first “impossible play,” The Public. |
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Written by The LA Team
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Saturday, 22 November 2008 |
To add a little amusement and entertainment to the Little Ashes Promotional Blitz experience, we embark on testing your knowledge on the cast, crew, and historical figures depicted in Little Ashes. In addition to the new poll we post every Wednesday, we will provide a new series of trivia questions on Wednesdays and on weekends. So, brush up on all involved with Little Ashes and give it a try!
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A) What would actor Robert Pattinson say his worst habit is?
B) Salvador Dalí contributed a dream sequence to what famous British filmmaker's film?
C) Who said, “My earliest memories of childhood have a flavor of earth . . . shepherds, meadows, sky, solitude"? Lorca, Dalí, or Buñuel?
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[ Answers after the cut! ] |
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Written by Diana Fernandez
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Saturday, 22 November 2008 |
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One of the most enigmatic aspects in the life of Salvador Dalí was his relationship with poet Federico Garcia Lorca. A whirlwind of controversy conjures the question of the actual extent of the bond they shared. Letters exchanged between Dalí and Lorca seemed to evidently suggest the two artists engaged in sexual encounters with one another. Next week, we will present a two part article exhibiting some of these letters. Stay tuned!
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As we’ve seen in other parts of his life, Salvador Dalí and the truth did not go hand in hand. He always contradicted himself, stretched truths and told extravagant stories to keep himself from fading into history. We may never know if his stories were true and what was really inside Dalí’s head.
In the last years of life for Dalí, he was read a biography about Federico Garcia Lorca written by Ian Gibson, a Spanish-based biographer. He loved the book so much that in 1986, Dalí requested to see Gibson. According to Gibson, the very ill Dalí began to tell him the story of the Dalí-Lorca relationship.
Dalí began to tell him that Lorca had felt an intense physical attraction for Dalí. One that he tried to respond to but couldn’t and that Lorca instead made love to Margarita Manso while Dalí watched. She was a student from Valladolid, who had a thin boyish look about her.
[ Pictured above: Lorca and Dalí, 1927 ] |
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Written by Patti Heiser and Brittany Stevens
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Thursday, 20 November 2008 |
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The difference between false memories and true ones is the same as for jewels: it is always the false ones that look the most real, the most brilliant.
~ Salvador Dalí
It wouldn’t be unjustified to describe Salvador Dalí, the man as well as the artist, as being a bit “off his rocker,” someone whose perspective was so intense perhaps many of us could not bear to carry the burden of his mentality. An attention seeker and possessing a lust for the limelight, Dalí wasn’t one to permit himself to be mundane. In fact, it was his will to emanate outré behavior, creating his image as nothing short of a conundrum thus leaving people scratching their heads in confusion.
Escaping into daydreams to ease his afflicted psyche, Dalí contrived events he called “false memories.” Psychologists delineate the term “false memories” as memories that are cleverly and conveniently produced via the subconscious mind. One may boldly state that doing such a thing generates the illusion of lunacy. However, according to Meredith Etherington-Smith’s biography of Dalí titled The Persistence of Memory, Dalí always retained the ability to differentiate between reality and fantasy.
Published in 1942, Dalí’s autobiography, The Secret Life of Salvador Dalí, served as the medium for these fabricated experiences. The customary and conventional motive behind writing an autobiography is to enlighten others of the dilemmas one has endured through the duration of their life. In scrutinizing Dalí’s rationale for exhibiting such fiction, one can theorize a few reasons behind the masquerade.
[ Pictured above: Dust jacket for the English edition of The Secret Life of Salvador Dali, 1942. Courtesy of the Salvador Dali Art Gallery ] |
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Written by Shannon McShane and Brittany Stevens
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Thursday, 20 November 2008 |
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It's the moment we have all been waiting for since we first heard about the film, the trailer! Its seems the long awaited event is not that far away. Today we received confirmation from Aria that the Little Ashes trailer will debut on Access Hollywood on Monday, December 1 and will then make its online premiere, showcased on Yahoo! Movies on Wednesday, December 3. E! News gave us a sneak peek which we reported on yesterday, however our craving for the trailer will soon be satisfied! Hold on fellow fans, its less than 2 weeks away! |
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Written by Laura Rollinger and Brittany Stevens
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Wednesday, 19 November 2008 |
In the midst of all the Twilight hype, thankfully there shines some spotlight on Little Ashes, gaining much warranted notice. E! News gave a small preview of Little Ashes during a news scoop on Robert Pattinson. Kudos for us! [ Video courtesy of youtube ]
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Written by Patti Heiser
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Tuesday, 18 November 2008 |
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Andalusia is the Spanish autonomous community with the greatest number of inhabitants and the second largest in surface. Its varied landscapes, from sunny beaches to beautiful mountain ranges, and the friendly population have turned it into one of the most attractive regions.
Federico Garcia Lorca was born and raised in the Andalusia region of Spain, and many of its influences are found in his work.
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[ Pictured above: The romantic location of Nerja. Photo courtesy of Travelphoto.net ]
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The Moors, who replaced the Visigoths in 711, left the largest impression on this Spanish area. This “golden era” of Andalusia saw increases in mining, agriculture, trade and industries such as pottery, textiles and leather workings. Granada, where Lorca and his family moved in 1909, was a Moorish center of culture and the arts. The Allahambra, where a very observant Lorca probably wandered, is an excellent example of Moorish architecture. |
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