Which Works Did Salvador Dalí Create Under The Influence Of Drugs?

By Ulises Román Rodríguez via El Planteo.

Throughout history, several prominent painters have used different substances as a tool for inspiration or to enhance their creative process.

Many artists have claimed that taking drugs allowed them to access a different state of mind and thus achieve more imaginative and expressive art.

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One of the artists best known for using psychoactive substances was Salvador Dalí, the famous Spanish surrealist painter born in 1904, whose 34th death anniversary was celebrated on January 23rd.

It was always known that Dalí used a variety of methods to induce altered states of consciousness and many of these experiences were recounted in his autobiography: The Secret Life of Dalí.

Living To Tell The Tale

Dalí wrote in his autobiography that, throughout his life, he experimented with various substances. During the 1930s, the artist used mescaline, a psychedelic drug.

He also claimed to have experienced hallucinations while taking the drug, which he believed helped him access the subconscious mind and create more surreal images.

In his memoirs, Dali recounts that "the hallucinations" he experienced while taking mescal were "intense and vivid" and helped him access a "deeper level of creativity."

He also claims that mescaline gave him "access to the reality of the mind," that it allowed him to reach a "complete knowledge of the mind" and that this was his source of inspiration.

The Works

"Take me, I am the drug, take me, I am hallucinogenic" and "I don't take drugs, I am a drug", are two phrases that Salvador Dalí used to say.

Cannabis was also in the orbit of the painter, who said that "everyone should eat hashish sometime".

See also: Psychedelics And Schizophrenia: What's The Link?

Among the various works attributed to have been inspired by Dalí's experimentation with drugs are:

The Persistence of Memory (1931)

It is one of Dalí's most famous works and is considered a masterpiece of surrealism. The painting features melting pocket watches, which are believed to be a representation of the distorted perception of time that can occur under the influence of psychoactive drugs. This artwork was recreated by The Simpsons in the episode Homer falls asleep in the museum.

Soft Construction with Boiled Beans (Premonition of Civil War) (1936)

This painting depicts a distorted figure composed of body parts and heads in a state of disarray and it is believed that the distorted form may have been influenced by Dali's experimentation with mescaline.

L'Age d'Or (1930)

It is a film directed by Luis Buñuel and produced by Dalí. This film has been interpreted as a surreal exploration of the subconscious mind and is also believed to have been influenced by Dali's experimentation with mescaline.

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