Fifth Grade
Worksheets
Melting Clocks and Salvador Dali
Salvador Dali
Reading Comprehension for May 11
Salvador Dali was a 20th century artist. He was born in Spain in 1904 and lived there most of his life; however, he lived in America in the 1940s to escape WWII. People think of melting clocks when they hear Dali's name!
Salvador Dali is described as being flamboyant. He was hard to ignore! His thin moustache didn't simply lie against his upper lip; it flipped up at both ends as if in surprise! His clothes often drew attention to Dali as well. In 1936, he delivered a speech at an art exhibit -- wearing a diving suit! He was an attention-getter not only in looks and talent, but also in words. He once declared, perhaps with a twinkle in his eyes, "Each morning when I awake, I experience again a supreme pleasure - that of being Salvador Dali."
Surrealism was Dali's main focus. Surreal art appears dreamlike. Dali's art was all about imagination. The melting clocks mentioned above are found in his most famous work of art. Called The Persistence of Memory, this painting contains objects that we recognize. We have seen clocks, but we have never seen limp clocks draped over tree limbs or dripping off the side of a block. In other paintings, objects appear to float in space. Elephants walk across the canvas on long spider legs!
