Lesson 5

Salvador Dalí: Master of Dreams

Surrealism continues — your third Surrealist artist

🧠

→DREAMS

Hyper-real dreams.
Bizarre juxtapositions.Today: meet Dalí, highlight 5 facts, start your research page.

Learning Objective:

Know who Salvador Dalí was and what makes his style unique
React to his work using sentence stems
Begin a Dalí artist research page using highlighted facts

Teacher Print Tools

Catch-up

Still finishing your Miró page? Read this 👀

Just for the small group still finishing Miró: you've got a clear lane today. Everyone else: 30 seconds, then we move on to Dalí.

⚡ Your plan today (catch-up pupils only)

During Independent Work, finish Miró FIRST (15 min), then start Dalí facts. Use the orange "Catch-up Path" box on that slide.

🎯 You can still join in fully

Listen during the I Do slides — Dalí facts will help your work either way. The retrieval quiz is good practice.

Teacher / TA note: Hands up now if your Miró page isn't done — 30-second flag so I can check in during Independent Work.

Retrieval Quiz

Arrival Task — Retrieval Quiz (Miró + earlier)

Instructions: Answer from memory. Q4 leads into today.

1. Surrealism (Recall)

What does "Surrealism" mean?

Beyond reality / dreamlike art.

2. Miró (Recall)

What nationality was Miró?

Spanish.

3. Style (Recall)

Was Miró's style realistic or abstract?

Abstract — bold shapes, primary colours, symbols.

4. Lead-in: Dalí

What is a dream? Could a painting look like a dream?

A scene from your sleeping mind. Yes — Dalí painted dreams in detail.

1. Compare (Recall)

Name two Surrealist artists studied so far and one fact about each.

Magritte (Belgian, bowler hats); Miró (Spanish, abstract symbols).

2. Framework (Recall)

What are some things to include when you write about an artwork?

Describe what you see, techniques, visual elements, opinion linked to meaning.

3. Style (Recall)

How did Miró's colours differ from Magritte's?

Miró — bold primaries (red, blue, yellow). Magritte — naturalistic, muted.

4. Lead-in: Dalí

What might a "dreamlike landscape" actually look like?

Strange combinations of objects, distorted forms, melting/floating elements, weirdly empty space.

1. Compare (Recall)

How did Magritte and Miró each explore the unconscious?

Magritte — realistic impossible scenes. Miró — abstract symbolic forms.

2. Vocab (Recall)

Define abstract AND symbolic. How do they differ?

Abstract = doesn't show recognisable objects. Symbolic = uses one image to stand for an idea. Symbolic art can still be recognisable.

3. Style (Recall)

Why might a Surrealist choose realistic detail over abstraction?

Realism makes impossible scenes feel believable — sharper unease.

4. Lead-in: Dalí

If a painting puts an elephant on tiny stilt-legs in a desert, what does that achieve?

Bizarre juxtaposition — calm landscape clashes with impossible creature. Forces the viewer to think.

Starter

Starter — Highlight 5 Key Facts on Dalí

Instructions: Read the bio below. Highlight or note at least 5 key facts about Dalí for your research page later.

Salvador Dalí is one of the most celebrated artists of all time. His fiercely technical yet highly unusual paintings, sculptures and visionary explorations in film and life-size interactive art ushered in a new generation of imaginative expression.

Dalí was born on May 11, 1904 in Figueras, Spain. He was a surrealist painter, printmaker and sculptor, and many of his works were influenced by subconscious imagery. As an art student in Madrid and Barcelona, Dalí developed a vast number of artistic styles and displayed unusual technical ability as a painter.

It was not until the late 1920s, however, that two events brought about his mature style: his discovery of Sigmund Freud's writings on the subconscious mind, and his affiliation with the Paris Surrealists — a group of artists exploring the "greater reality" of the human subconscious.

Dalí depicted a dream world in which commonplace objects are juxtaposed, deformed or otherwise changed in a bizarre and irrational way. He also portrayed those objects in extremely realistic detail and placed them within bleak, sunlit landscapes.

In the 1930s, Dalí switched his painting style to a more academic one under the influence of the Renaissance painter Raphael. His political views during the rise of fascism resulted in him being expelled from the Paris Surrealists. After that he spent a lot of time designing theatre sets, fashionable shop interiors, and jewellery, and exhibited his genius for flamboyant self-promotional stunts in the USA, where he lived between 1940 and 1955.

Between 1950 and 1970, Dalí's work took on a religious theme, though he still represented childhood memories and used themes centring on his wife Gala. These later works were not as popular as his Surrealist pieces. Dalí died on 23 January 1989, aged 79.

Sentence starter: "Dalí was a _____ artist born in _____. He is famous for _____."

I Do

I Do: Who Was Salvador Dalí?

Key Idea: A Spanish Surrealist who painted his dreams in obsessive detail — bizarre objects in sunlit landscapes.

📝 Aim to capture at least 5 facts for your research page!

We Do

We Do: REACT to a Dalí Dreamscape

Instructions: Look at this Dalí-style scene. Inspired by Dream Caused by the Flight of a Bee around a Pomegranate (1944).

Dalí-style dreamscape: stilt elephant, leaping tigers, pomegranate, reclining figure

👀 What do you SEE?

🤔 What's WEIRD or UNEXPECTED?

🔍 Which VISUAL ELEMENTS jump out?

💭 How does it MAKE YOU FEEL?

Sentence starters: "I see _____ which is weird because _____." | "It feels like a dream because _____."

juxtaposition hyper-realism subconscious Freud scale

I Do

I Do: Three Surrealists, Three Styles

Key Idea: All three painted Surrealism — but each took a different route. Dalí is the third corner of the triangle.

🎩 Magritte

Style: Hyper-realistic
Colours: Naturalistic
Shapes: Recognisable objects
Message: Questions reality

🎨 Miró

Style: Abstract, symbolic
Colours: Bold primaries
Shapes: Organic blobs, stars
Message: Pure imagination

🧠 Dalí

Style: Hyper-realistic dreams
Colours: Warm, sunlit
Shapes: Real objects, distorted
Message: The subconscious mind

📝 Word Along the Way — JUXTAPOSITION

Juxtaposition = placing two things side by side that don't usually belong together. Dalí's elephant on stilt-legs next to a calm desert is pure juxtaposition. The clash is the whole point.

Three things to mention when comparing artists: Style · Colours · Meaning / Message

Hit all three with proper sentences and you're in the top mark band.

Don't write: "Dalí's art is just weird" or "Dalí is the same as Magritte"

Write: "Dalí used realistic detail to paint impossible juxtapositions, exploring the subconscious mind."

"Weird" is a feeling — not analysis. Both Magritte and Dalí used realism, but Dalí's WORLD is dreamlike (sunlit deserts, melting forms); Magritte's is everyday spaces broken by single impossible objects.

We Do

We Do: Match Keyword → Definition

Instructions: Select a keyword, then tap the matching definition.

Matches: 0/5

Hints: "Juxtaposition" — think CLASH of unrelated things. "Subconscious" — your mind BELOW thought. "Dreamscape" — landscape from a DREAM. "Renaissance" — old, ITALIAN, classical art. "Surrealism" — beyond REALITY.

Step 1: Select a keyword

Juxtaposition

Subconscious

Dreamscape

Renaissance

Surrealism

Step 2: Tap the matching definition

Placing two unrelated things together for shock or contrast

The part of your mind below conscious awareness

A landscape that resembles a dream — strange, vivid, unreal

Italian artistic revival of classical detail (Raphael, da Vinci…)

Art "beyond reality" — exploring dreams and the unconscious

Independent Work

Independent Work — Dalí Research Page

Instructions: Most of you → Dalí research page below. Catch-up pupils (still finishing Miró) → orange box on the right.

Foundation

Title "Salvador Dalí". Write the 5 facts you highlighted. Stick in 1 printed Dalí image. Write a REACT response (3 sentences). Name 2 visual elements.

"Salvador Dalí was a _____ artist born in _____."

Middle

Title, 6+ facts in your own words, 2 images with titles, REACT response with visual elements named, explain juxtaposition with an example, one comparison sentence: Dalí vs Miró.

Higher

Creative Dalí-inspired title, 8+ facts with context, 3 images with mini-analysis, detailed comparison across all three Surrealists, explain how the subconscious shapes Dalí's work, "what I take from Dalí for my own work" line.

🌉 Catch-up Path (Miró unfinished)

First 15 min: finish Miró (image, REACT, 5 facts). Last 10 min: do Foundation Dalí — title + 5 facts only. We'll catch the rest next lesson.

📋 Scaffolding

Foundation: copy from your highlighted bio + use sentence starters. Middle: write facts in your OWN words. Higher: link facts to specific paintings.

🏆 Success Criteria

Foundation: 5 facts, 1 image, 3-sentence REACT, 2 elements named.

Middle: 6+ own-word facts, juxtaposition explained, comparison to Miró.

Higher: Three-way Surrealist comparison, subconscious analysis, personal connection.

Exit Ticket

Instructions: Answer independently. No notes.

1) What nationality was Dalí?

Spanish.

2) Dalí's style is best described as…

Hyper-realistic dreamscapes / surrealism with subconscious imagery.

3) What does juxtaposition mean?

Placing two unrelated things side by side for contrast.

Knowledge Organiser (L5): Salvador Dalí

Fact	Detail
Born	11 May 1904, Figueras, Spain
Style	Hyper-realistic Surrealist dreamscapes
Inspiration	Sigmund Freud's writings on the subconscious mind
Group	Paris Surrealists (later expelled over politics)
Approach	Bizarre objects juxtaposed in bleak sunlit landscapes
Influences	Renaissance master Raphael (1930s onwards)
USA years	1940–1955: theatre, fashion, jewellery, self-promo
Later work	Religious themes, childhood memories, his wife Gala
Died	23 January 1989, age 79

Magritte	Miró	Dalí
Hyper-realistic	Abstract, symbolic	Hyper-realistic dreamscapes
Naturalistic colours	Bold primaries	Warm, sunlit
Recognisable objects	Organic blobs, stars	Real objects, distorted
Questions reality	Pure imagination	The subconscious mind

Word	Meaning
Juxtaposition	Placing two unrelated things side by side
Subconscious	Mind below conscious awareness
Dreamscape	Landscape that resembles a dream
Renaissance	Italian classical revival in art
Surrealism	Art "beyond reality"

Arrival Task — Retrieval Quiz

Foundation

1) What does "Surrealism" mean?

2) What nationality was Miró?

3) Was Miró's style realistic or abstract?

4) What is a dream? Could a painting look like one?

Middle

1) Name two Surrealists studied so far + one fact each.

2) What do you include when writing about an artwork?

3) How did Miró's colours differ from Magritte's?

4) What might a dreamlike landscape look like?

Higher

1) How did Magritte and Miró each explore the unconscious?

2) Define abstract AND symbolic — how do they differ?

3) Why might a Surrealist choose realistic detail over abstraction?

4) An elephant on tiny stilt-legs in a desert — what does that achieve?

🌉 Catch-up Bridge — Miró Finish

Only for pupils still completing Miró:

Step	Task
1	Write 5+ facts about Miró (Spanish, 1893, abstract, primary colours, symbols)
2	Finish your Miró-style image with bold primary colours
3	Write a REACT response — what you SEE, how it's DIFFERENT, ELEMENTS, OPINION
4	Then start the Foundation Dalí task — title + 5 facts only

Starter — Highlight 5 Facts (Dalí Bio)

Salvador Dalí was born on 11 May 1904 in Figueras, Spain. He was a surrealist painter, printmaker and sculptor, and many of his works were influenced by subconscious imagery. As an art student in Madrid and Barcelona, he developed a vast number of styles and showed unusual technical ability.

In the late 1920s, he discovered Sigmund Freud's writings on the subconscious mind and joined the Paris Surrealists. He depicted a dream world in which commonplace objects are juxtaposed, deformed or otherwise changed in a bizarre way — painted in extreme realistic detail in bleak sunlit landscapes.

In the 1930s he switched to a more academic style influenced by the Renaissance painter Raphael. His political views during the rise of fascism resulted in him being expelled from the Paris Surrealists. He lived in the USA between 1940 and 1955 and was famous for self-promotional stunts. Later (1950–70) he painted religious themes, childhood memories, and his wife Gala. Dalí died on 23 January 1989, aged 79.

📝 Highlight at least 5 facts. Then list them here:

We Do: REACT to Dalí

What do you SEE?

What's WEIRD or UNEXPECTED?

Which VISUAL ELEMENTS jump out?

How does it MAKE YOU FEEL?

Scaffolding – Foundation

"Salvador Dalí was a _____ artist born in _____."

"He is famous for paintings of _____."

"This painting makes me feel _____ because…"

Scaffolding – Middle

"Dalí's style is different to Miró because…"

"Juxtaposition means _____, for example in this work _____."

Scaffolding – Higher

Key terms: juxtaposition, subconscious, dreamscape, Renaissance, hyper-realism, Freud, dislocation, symbolic

Independent – Foundation

☐ Title "Salvador Dalí" ☐ 5 facts ☐ 1 image ☐ REACT (3 sentences) ☐ 2 visual elements named

Independent – Middle

☐ Title ☐ 6+ own-word facts ☐ 2 images with titles ☐ REACT ☐ Juxtaposition explained with example ☐ Dalí vs Miró comparison

Independent – Higher

☐ Creative title ☐ 8+ facts with context ☐ 3 images mini-analysis ☐ Three-way Surrealist comparison ☐ Subconscious analysis ☐ Personal connection line

Exit Ticket – Foundation

1) Nationality of Dalí?

2) Describe his style.

3) What does juxtaposition mean?

Exit Ticket – Middle

1) Three things that make Dalí different from Miró.

2) Explain juxtaposition with a Dalí example.

3) Whose writings inspired Dalí's interest in dreams?

Exit Ticket – Higher

1) Compare Magritte, Miró and Dalí.

2) Why might Dalí's realism make Surrealism MORE disturbing?

3) Is juxtaposition strong or lazy? Argue.

Dalí Research Page Complete!

Pens down — quick partner check!

Salvador Dalí: Master of Dreams

Teacher Print Tools

Still finishing your Miró page? Read this 👀

If your Miró research page isn't quite finished…

⚡ Your plan today (catch-up pupils only)

🎯 You can still join in fully

Arrival Task — Retrieval Quiz (Miró + earlier)

1. Surrealism (Recall)

2. Miró (Recall)

3. Style (Recall)

4. Lead-in: Dalí

1. Compare (Recall)

2. Framework (Recall)

3. Style (Recall)

4. Lead-in: Dalí

1. Compare (Recall)

2. Vocab (Recall)

3. Style (Recall)

4. Lead-in: Dalí

Starter — Highlight 5 Key Facts on Dalí

I Do: Who Was Salvador Dalí?

We Do: REACT to a Dalí Dreamscape

I Do: Three Surrealists, Three Styles

🎩 Magritte

🎨 Miró

🧠 Dalí

📝 Word Along the Way — JUXTAPOSITION

We Do: Match Keyword → Definition

Independent Work — Dalí Research Page

Foundation

Middle

Higher

🌉 Catch-up Path (Miró unfinished)

📋 Scaffolding

🏆 Success Criteria

Exit Ticket

Knowledge Organiser (L5): Salvador Dalí

Arrival Task — Retrieval Quiz

Foundation

Middle

Higher

🌉 Catch-up Bridge — Miró Finish

Starter — Highlight 5 Facts (Dalí Bio)

We Do: REACT to Dalí

Scaffolding – Foundation

Scaffolding – Middle

Scaffolding – Higher

Independent – Foundation

Independent – Middle

Independent – Higher

Exit Ticket – Foundation

Exit Ticket – Middle

Exit Ticket – Higher