Whitepine Studios

Salvador Dali was born on May 11, 1904, and remains one of the most famous surrealists. His paintings, sculptures and films were inspired by his dreams. Surrealism was an art movement that tapped into the unconscious mind. One type of surrealism combined reality with dream-like images. Artists like Dali combined subjects that would you would not expect to be together as can be observed in one of his most famous works, Persistence of Memory. Melting clocks, a monstrous face, and red ants on a gold watch are juxtaposed with the realistic images of the sea and cliffs in the background. Another type of surrealism focuses on the spontaneity of creation without the need for conscious reasoning. With randomness and intuition, Hans (Jean) Arp, a fellow surrealist, created organic abstract paintings. We offer a workshop for middle school and high school students called Arp and Intuition. Students will create an abstract piece of art by chance and intuition! Happy Birthday Salvador Dali and thank you for your contributions to the Surrealism Movement and its continued influence on Modern Surrealism.

Leonardo da Vinci was born on April 15, 1452 in Italy. He was a painter, sculptor, architect and inventor remembered as one of the most famous men of the Renaissance. The fresco of the Last Supper in the monastery of the Santa Maria delle Grazie in Milan, and the Mona Lisa in the Louvre Museum in Paris, are two of his most famous works. He left behind several notebooks that include sketches of his inventions. Many of his designs later influenced future inventions: parachutes, helicopters, diving equipment, airplanes, army tanks and much more. He had a scientific mind and his inventions were centuries before their time. He studied human anatomy and his illustrations are astoundingly accurate. He was truly a “Renaissance man”. Da Vinci died at the age of 67 on May 2, 1519. Today we celebrate his birthday and his contributions to art, science and technology.