August 4, 2008

Salvador Dali's Fascinating "Face of Mae West" in 3D







Salvador Dali is one of my very favorite artists and his "Mae West (Face of Mae West Which May Be Used as an Apartment)"(1934) is one of my favorite pieces of art by the Surrealist genius. The red lips on this installation are called "The Mae West Sofa Lips". Wikipedia says, "(The Mae West Sofa Lips)is a surrealist sofa by Salvador Dalí. The wood-and-satin sofa was shaped after the lips of actress Mae West, whom Dalí apparently found fascinating.[1] It measures 86.5 x 183 x 81.5 cm. Edward James, a rich British patron of the Surrealists in the 1930's, commissioned this piece from Dali."

Mae West (1893-1980) is an American actress, singer, playwright and screenwriter who is known for her daring and controversial portrayals on the big screen as well as vaudeville and on stage. She was also quite the sex symbol during her hay days.

What you have below is a short but fascinating presentation of the collage showcased above of "Mae West (Face of Mae West Which May Be Used as an Apartment)" in a 3D video. In the video, we can appreciate Mae West's face as the collage of furniture, paintings etc that it really is. Mae's eyes are pictures hung on the wall, her hair are curtains, and her mouth is the aforementioned red sofa. The second short video showcases "The Mae West Room" sculptural installation which was inspired by the collage. This installation dates back to 1974 and the same can be found at the Dali Museum in Figueres, Spain. The Mae West collage is presently at The Art Institute of Chicago, USA.



"The Mae West Room"

5 comments:

  1. reminds me of the Fall, I am pretty sure the director was inspired by Dali, in all his works

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  2. The Fall? Tarsem Singh's film? Yes. You're absolutely correct! There is a very strong similarity. Thanks for your visit!

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  3. Dali may have been an ass personality-wise but the man was, no doubt, an artistic genius.

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  4. Fascinating! Thank you. I really love your blog!

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    1. Thank you Leyla. I love that you love my blog! Lol.

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