Salvador Dalí Three Ways: Exploring Surrealism & Self-Expression

Last month, our Artist of the Month is the legendary Salvador Dalí — the Spanish Surrealist celebrated for his incredible technical skill, boundless imagination, and delightfully bizarre creations. Through stories and hands-on art explorations, the children have been discovering how Dalí transformed ordinary objects into dreamlike masterpieces that challenge us to see the world in new and unexpected ways. We also explored Dalí’s unforgettable personal style and larger-than-life personality. With his signature mustache, daring fashion sense, and theatrical flair, Dalí’s self-expression extended far beyond his paintings — it was woven into every aspect of his life. His fearless individuality and unapologetic creativity made him not only one of the greatest artists of the 20th century but also one of the most unforgettable icons in art history.

1. Invitation to Create: Salvador Dalí Portraits: To celebrate Dalí’s unique style, we invited the children to create their own portraits of the artist. Using printed photographs as inspiration, they were given an outline of Dalí’s face along with glue, pipe cleaners, scissors, markers, and colored pencils — the perfect materials to capture his playful, expressive energy. Each portrait reflected the children’s interpretation of Dalí’s quirky personality and creative spirit.

2. Lobster Telephone Still Life Painting: Exploring Surrealism: Inspired by Dalí’s famous 1938 work “Lobster Telephone,” the children explored the world of Surrealism through still life painting. We set up a 3D telephone and lobster model alongside images of the original artwork, providing paint, brushes, and paper for the children to reimagine Dalí’s curious pairing. This experience encouraged them to think abstractly and explore how unrelated objects can come together to create something entirely new — just like Dalí did.

3. Invitation to Create: Meditative Rose with Loose Parts: For our final exploration, the children reinterpreted Dalí’s “Meditative Rose” using loose parts as their medium. Presented with the painting and materials that matched its color palette — flat marbles, gems, petals, and a blue tray as the base — the children arranged and designed their own transient art pieces. This open-ended process invited mindfulness, creativity, and reflection, echoing Dalí’s ability to find beauty in simplicity and symbolism.

Introducing children to artists like Salvador Dalí broadens their understanding of what art can be. Exposure to diverse styles and creative thinkers encourages curiosity, open-mindedness, and confidence, showing children that art is not limited by rules — it’s about expressing what makes each of us unique.

Through these playful, imaginative experiences, the children learned that art isn’t just about what appears on a canvas; it’s about how we see the world and express who we are. Just like Dalí, they discovered that creativity shines brightest when we dare to dream differently.