February 26, 2017
SALVADOR DALI
By Michael Vahl
When his wife passed away, his life became dull. He stopped eating, scratched his face, he was constantly shouting and crying. He could wander around his house uttering delirious phrases about Gala. He didn’t paint anymore and died several years later after Gala. That’s a striking breathtaking story. That’s what one calls true love. —Michael Vahl
Salvador Domingo Felipe Jacinto Dalí i Domènech, Marqués de Dalí de Púbol was born in 1904 in the Spanish region of Catalonia, to a middle-class lawyer, and a mother who encouraged his artistic endeavors. In 1929 the flamboyant artist met his lifelong muse and future wife, the Russian-born Elena Ivanovna Diakonova, known as Gala. Los Angeles born artist Michael Vahl, now living in Tampa Bay, greatly inspired by Dalí’s story painted this striking portrait of he and Gala on Baum Ave. N. behind Ashe Couture Boutique in St. Petersburg. With the Dali Museum barely more than a mile away The Burg is a must-visit for Dali lovers. @michael_vahl_artwork @dalimuseum @ilovetheburg
