Did you know that Salvador Dali was terrified of grasshoppers?

[NNN0LHI]

http://www.castlegalleries.com/artists/salvador_dali/profile.asp

Salvador Dalí was one of the greatest Spanish painters of all time, and one of the most important figures in the history of the modern art movement. Both Dalí's extraordinary talent and odd personality helped him to rise above the rest of the twentieth century surrealists.

At the age of ten, Dalí was already learning to paint under prestigious teachers in renowned art schools. Much of Dalí's work and life was affected by his personality which was regarded as paranoid on one hand, but arrogant and greedy on the other. This was clearly evident upon his second expulsion from the Royal Academy of Art in Madrid, caused by his own assertion that he held greater knowledge of his subject than those who taught him. As a result, he never took his final examinations, yet his achievements show that this was hardly a hindrance to his career in art. snip

Grasshoppers

Dalí had an irrational fear of grasshoppers, stemming from his childhood torment by other children, who often threw grasshoppers and other insects at him. When they appear in Dalí's work, grasshoppers are used as a symbol of destruction, waste and fear. Dalí represents them with a fearful nature, as large and intimidating in comparison to the other figures, and they are often shown in the act of eating the main subject of the work.

[Bombero1956]

1. little known fact

I have an intense fear of Salvador Dali showing up at my door with a grasshopper in his pocket. I know Dali is dead but the fear persists.

[RedCloud]

2. I melted a few of them on my sundial by accident.

[nolabear]

3. Dali was afraid of a lot of things. But then he had a thoroughly strange life from day one.

He was a "replacement child," born after the death of his older sibling, who was named Salvador. It's said his parents sometimes took him to the grave of the first son, and pointed him out to himself..."There you are."

In the inimitable words of Radar O'Reilly, "That kind of thing sticks to a fella."

[cbdo2007]

4. Anyone been to the Dali museum in St. Petersburg, FL?

I went a couple of years ago and it was great.

I did have to write them a letter afterwards and complain because they didn't use non-reflective glass. I don't know if it was the lighting or just the intricate details of the paintings so I was analyzing them more closely - but the major reflections in the glass were very disappointing for me. The paintings were incredible though of course, just the presentation was glary.

[JitterbugPerfume]

10. they have built a new Dali museum

and it is awesome.

[JitterbugPerfume]

11. my computer went nuts

dupe

[JitterbugPerfume]

12. dupe

uh oh

[Lucian]

5. Grasshoppers are scary.

With their hopping and flying and stuff.

How come rabbits can hop but not fly?

[guitar man]

6. with good reason

grasshopper could fuck.you.up!:scared:

[Swede]

7. I have a friend like that.

She's better now,but for years she wouldn't go outside in summer because of her fear of grasshoppers.

[NNN0LHI]

8. I went to grade school with a girl who would faint dead away from just seeing a picture of a spider

Teacher had to remove all the encyclopedias with a picture of a spider in them from the classroom for that year so there was no chance someone would accidentally let her see one.

Don

[Bake]

9. Isn't everyone?

Bake

[UTUSN]

13. Romans (the ancient tough ones) were skeered of the open ocean. I don't blame them. n/t