“I name my wife: Gala, Galushka, Gradiva; Oliva, for the oval shape of her face and the colour of her skin; Oliveta, diminutive for Olive; and its delirious derivatives Oliueta, Oriueta, Buribeta, Buriueteta, Suliueta, Solibubuleta, Oliburibuleta, Ciueta, Liueta. I also call her Lionette, because when she gets angry she roars like the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer lion” – Salvador Dalí
I’ve always liked eternal and intense love stories. When two people instead of being only lovers they develop their relationship in a lot of levels and support and inspire each other. These are the big love everlasting stories that remain in our memories forever and that instead of sounding too cheesy or romantic show us what is true love is about. We all know the master of surrealism Salvador Dalí, but not many people have met his wife and true love Gala. She was his muse. An enigmatic and mysterious woman that has been hiding in the dark, overshadowed by Dali’s geniality. But she didn´t only inspire to the Spanish painter; she was the muse of many surrealist artists and she is the current inspiration for this post as our Fashion Hero of the Week.
Her real name was Elena Ivanovna Diakonova and after acquiring a good education she met Paúl Eluard, one of the founders of the surrealist movement, with whom she married in Paris in 1917. That´s when she dived into the artistic Parisian world having many affairs with intellectuals of the age such as André Bretón or Max Ernst. But when she met the young painter Salvador Dalí in Cadaqués (Spain), they madly fell in love for each other and divorced Eluard.
Gala was Dalí’s inspiration. The woman that kept the painter sometimes away from insanity and madness. Some people accused her of being too materialistic as Gala was his agent. But the truth is that she was Dalí’s muse, and she always remained in the shadow to let the great painter shine with his great artworks. She was a model for many of his paintings acquiring religious roles such as the Blessed Virgin Mary in the painting Madonna of Port Lligat. But there are numerous artworks where she´s been depicted such as: Imperial Monument to the Child-Woman, Gala; The discover of America by Christopher Columbus; The Ecumenical Council; Corpus Hypercubus; Galatea of the Spheres; The Angelous of Gala; and many others.
Even if they were both completely in love, Gala still had affairs with other young artists and Dalí actually encouraged her as he practiced the caudalism (similar to voyeurism) . She was so attractive for everyone and that´s understandable as her strong features and vivid eyes combined perfectly with her curious mind and tough character. She was always classy and elegant, and her style was easy yet unique.
Gala was a special woman that always lived ahead of her time. Free and charming, she was mysterious and enigmatic. Even if her last husband was such a genius, she was a smart woman that shouldn´t be forgotten.
Image source: tumblr, 20 Minutos, Blogs Interviú, Cartas en la noche, Hotel Curious, Matches in my bag
