Though one of the most popular artists of the twentieth century, Salvador Dali is typically seen as peripheral to the dominant practices of modernist painting. Roger Rothman's Tiny Surrealism argues that this marginal position is itself a coherent response to modernism. It demonstrates how Dali's practice was organized around the logic of the inconsequential by focusing on Dali's identification with things that are literally tiny (ants, sewing needles, breadcrumbs, blackheads, etc.) as well as those that are metaphorically small (the trivial, the weak, the superficial, and the anachronistic). In addition to addressing the imagery of Dali's paintings, Tiny Surrealism demonstrates that the logic of the small was a fundamental factor in Dali's adherence to the techniques of miniaturist illusionism. Long derided as antimodernist and kitsch, Rothman demonstrates that Dali's style was itself a strategy of the small aimed at subverting the dominant values of modern painting.

Tiny Surrealism not only examines Dali's pictorial work, it also probes the artist's many public pronouncements and private correspondences. By attending to the peculiarities of Dali's technique and examining overlooked aspects of his writings, Tiny Surrealism is the first study to detail his deliberate subversion of modernist orthodoxies.

About the Author
Roger Rothman is a professor of art history at Bucknell University.

Reviews
"Written in a lucid and readable style appropriate even for the novice student of surrealism, Tiny Surrealism excavates a different side to Dali: that of the empathetic, stunningly perspicacious, and vulnerable man, who is always favoring the underdog. . . . Tiny Surrealism has great potential to serve as an introduction to Dali's complex oeuvre."-Abigail Susik, Modernism/Modernity
"Rothman's book delves into a neglected aspect of the work of one of the most notorious surrealists: Salvador Dali."-Effie Rentzou, SubStance
"Tiny Surrealism is a solid, nuanced piece of scholarly inquiry. . . . Rothman offers a fresher perspective and a richer vocabulary to rethink Dali's place in the surrealist universe. Tiny Surrealism successfully rescues Dali from such unfair critical isolation and sheds overdue light on the intricacies of such a multidimensional artist."-Pablo Baler, Hispania
"Undergraduates and general audiences will find distinct new approaches to the well-known but inadequately analyzed artist Dali. Rothman's book opens pathways to insert Dali into the scholarly discourses surrounding modern art."-Choice
"Tiny Surrealism successfully dilutes the generic caricature of a camera-ready Dali, haunting coffee-table books, wall calendars, and classroom discussions, while at the same time the study maintains an awareness of the centrality of satirical humor to Dali's production. Written in a lucid and readable style appropriate even for the novice student of surrealism, Tiny Surrealism excavates a different side to Dali: that of the empathetic, stunningly perspicacious, and vulnerable man, who is always favoring the underdog. . . . Tiny Surrealism has great potential to serve as an introduction to Dali's complex oeuvre, as it balances the investigation of the artist's visual artworks with nearly as many of his compelling writings, and furthermore because it surveys the trajectory of his career between the 1920s and 1930s."-Abigail Susik, Modernism/Modernity
"Rothman's book is a creative, readable, and invigorating reevaluation of the early career of Salvador Dali, one of the most recognizable figures in twentieth century art and intellectual history, yet also one of the most vexing and misunderstood. . . . Rothman's discussions of Dali's texts and paintings are consistently enlightening and provocative, and the book promises to make a substantive impact in the fields of modernism and surrealism."-Jonathan Eburne, author of Surrealism and the Art of Crime

"The strength of this study-in fact, its undeniable contribution to our knowledge of Dali-lies in its very detailed and comprehensive exposition-indeed the close and quite perceptive analysis of the 'little things,' as they emerge in Dali's early works. . . . Tiny Surrealism is a valuable contribution to a more comprehensive understanding of Dali's art and aesthetics."-Haim Finkelstein, author of Salvador Dali's Art and Writing, 1927-1942

"Rothman's book is a creative, readable, and invigorating reevaluation of the early career of Salvador Dali, one of the most recognizable figures in twentieth century art and intellectual history, yet also one of the most vexing and misunderstood. . . . Rothman's discussions of Dali's texts and paintings are consistently enlightening and provocative, and the book promises to make a substantive impact in the fields of modernism and surrealism."-Jonathan Eburne, author of Surrealism and the Art of Crime

Book Information
ISBN 9780803280885
Author Roger Rothman
Format Paperback
Page Count 280
Imprint University of Nebraska Press
Publisher University of Nebraska Press