One of the most talked-about pieces of art of the year is unquestionably the Robert Pattinson painting, ‘Dali Watching Filmstars While Masturbating’. The artist’s take on the surrealist’s most famous work was met with enthusiasm by audiences and social media users alike, with many hailing it as ‘the greatest art installation of all time’.
The Instagram account @balderdashyart posted the image early this year, tagging Robert Pattinson and Dali. The picture was meant to be a part of the installation, but it went viral before the exhibition could be staged. Here, we take a closer look at the cultural phenomena that is the Robert Pattinson and the Dali marriage.
Dali And The Marriage Of Art And Cinema
It was rumoured that Rob’s mother, Gay, had a close relationship with the surrealist master during his London period. In 2003, the artist donated a piece of art, a painting called ‘The Circus’ to the Tate Britain. It was a gift to celebrate a special relationship that had endured for many years.
However, it was not the first time that Dali and the Pattinson clan had worked together. The artist had famously photographed Rob’s father, David, dressed as a clown in his back garden. He had painted their son as a clown as well – a fact that was not lost on some of Rob’s followers. It seems that the relationship started promising young artists, and it has continued to this day.
While the pairing of Robert Pattinson and Salvador DalI may feel fresh in the minds of many, the inspiration behind the artist and his work is not a new one. One of the greatest surrealists of all time has been influencing artists since the early 20th century.
Dali was known for many extravagant ways of working. He would often work for extended periods of time without taking a break, and he was passionate about his craft. When he did take a break from painting, it was not unusual for him to do so many things at once to keep his energy up.
Some of his more creative processes included:
- Watching films with a projector while painting on canvas, a technique that he called ‘cine-potpourri’
- Taking a paintbrush to his tongue so that his lips turned the colour of the paint that he was applying
- Testing out novel ways to create images such as ‘the shrimps on the beach’ and ‘the blue train’
- Designing his own stamps for use in correspondence
- Turning his hands into canvases by using his feet to pull his stool closer to the wall as he worked
- Fiddling while he worked, especially when he was using a tape measure to keep time during a creative session
- Taking his time about deciding which colour he would use for a painting and mixing it with his blood to create an artistic smudge on his canvass
- Getting a group of women to sit together and drip paint on each other’s backs, which he called ‘the spontaneous falling rain’ technique
The Creative Process
It’s fair to say that the creative process behind the @balderdashyart Instagram account is pretty unique. The American artist behind the account, Emily Scarpati, decided to document the making of the painting in the form of a diary entry. She visited London in 2016 for a short break, and while there, she decided to pay a visit to the Tate Britain. It was on the very day of her visit that she stumbled across the story of David and Gay Pattinson, and the unique relationship that the artist had with both of them. Scarpati was particularly touched by David’s story, as it was she who had drawn the attention of the elderly artist to the piece of art that she had donated to the Tate Britain. The artist had been a fan of hers for some time, and he remembered the time that she had spent drawing the clown in his garden. The chance to see the inside of the museum, and the opportunity to draw from a first-hand perspective was too good to resist. Scarpati decided to immortalise the experience in the form of a diary entry.
The process of making the piece was quite arduous, as DalI was never one to rush a job. He had a reputation for being a perfectionist, and this story was perhaps one of the most dramatic examples of this. The painstaking work that went into the final product was not lost on anyone who saw it. The account @balderdashyart had originally posted a behind-the-scenes image of the making of the piece in May this year, with the final version going viral a month later. It was later revealed that the piece had taken the artist around four and a half years to complete.
The Dali Look
The story behind the art is just as interesting as the art itself. Many of the comments that Scarpati received on her Instagram post were in praise of the Robert Pattinson look. It seems that fans of the Twilight actor wanted to see more of him in the form of art, and this curiosity was largely responsible for the viral success of the piece. While the original drawing was a study in black and white, the reactions that it generated were vivid and full-colour.
It is no secret that the vampire-genre has had a significant impact on popular culture. Not only are there now movies, books, and even games based on the vampire mythos, but it seems that young people are also inspired by them to dabble in the dark arts. This may be due to the fact that many of the characters in the Twilight saga were written as though they were experienced adults, and it is now acceptable, or even fashionable, to pretend that you’re a vampire. Indeed, many fans of the Twilight series may now want to emulate the cool air of a young Robert Pattinson as they get down and dirty with their favourite vampires. It would appear that the role of a vampiric schoolboy is now officially an autumn/winter job search.
A Marriage Made In Heaven?
While many were enamoured with the artistic marriage of Robert Pattinson and DalI, others were less than charmed. The story behind the creation of the piece was, in fact, a source of contention between some of the fans of the couple. It seems that some were not keen on the idea of an eighty-something year-old artist marrying a man just a few years his junior, and they did not take kindly to the fact that the piece had gone viral before its exhibition had even taken place. There were also those who felt that the pairing was a publicity stunt by the brand, and it was only because they were desperate for press that they had agreed to the marriage. It would appear that even some of the people responsible for bringing the celebrity couple together were not entirely satisfied with the final product.
It is difficult to put into words just how passionate Dali was about his work. While many were won over by the power of his ink and canvas, others felt that the couple did not quite match up. It is likely that some people will love the finished product and the other will be underwhelmed. The only way to find out is to see the piece for ourselves. Fortunately, we have the option of touring the Tate Britain and viewing the work in situ. So, while the final word may not yet be spoken, it would appear that the legacy of the genius behind the painting, Salvador DalI, will live on.