A strip-tease act conducted in pink limelight: Salvador Dali, George Orwell, and the construction of a surreal/ist self
Within this paper I examine the relationship between Salvador Dali’s grandiose autobiography, The Secret Life of Salvador Dali, and a critical article by George Orwell entitled “Benefit of Clergy: Some Notes on Salvador Dali.” Through a consideration of these two related texts, this paper will focus on the methods through which Dali constructs his artistic persona – in a way that emphasizes his identity as contingent, de-centered and multidimensional. By analyzing several aspects of Dali’s public life, including autobiographical writings, paintings and television appearances, I will also consider his motivations as both Surrealist and economic in inclination. Ultimately, I develop an understanding of Dali as a textual, historicized entity; one that allows me to explore the ways in which artistic identity is constructed for public consumption and entertainment.