rs and acquaintances, the more I started to think otherwise. And before long I realised that Dali did hold really quite a profound appeal for us teenagers. So I started my research into why…The first thing to do, and the question that must undoubtedly be asked first, is that of the definition of adolescence. What exactly makes somebody an adolescent, other than the obvious physical changes that occur during this period of life? What is it that goes on in an adolescent’s head that particularly differs from people at other stages in life? Only by answering this can we begin to understand why Dali appeals to them. Adolescence is renowned for being the period of our lives when we are becoming more aware, learning about ourselves and the things around us. The period when we question things, begin to find our own opinions and views and make up our own minds about things. It is also the era when we get burning desires, fantasies, doubts, and a whole load of other problems to go with it. There are various ways of dealing with these new feelings and emotions, and various mediums through which they can be dealt. Be it through writing, artwork or daydreams, every adolescent will find their own way of coping. And I think this is very important in understanding the reason behind the teenage fondness of Dali’s work. Because where the adolescent artist will transfer these fantasies on to a piece of canvas, seeing it as a way to release his/her emotions and tensions, others will do differently. An artist will fantasise, and usually when it comes to putting it onto canvas, elaborate upon this fantasy until it is no longer as personal as it was when it began. Until it can be perceived and understood, (whether or not it is perceived and understood in the way in which the artist originally intended), by other people. The connection with Dali comes when the adolescent is not an artist, when they find another way to fantasise, u...
