Dalí Atomicus by Philippe Halsman and Salvador Dalí

Dalí Atomicus was the product of a collaborative effort between photographer Philippe Halsman and surrealist Salvador Dalí back in 1948. It was the most famous among many of their collaborations probably because of the suspension of so many elements in the air at once—a seemingly dynamic, unpredictable and ephemeral scene.

The two met in 1941 and have worked together in many assignments, but it wasn't until the late 1940's that they started collaborating.

Dalí Atomicus (1948) by Philippe Halsman shows Salvador Dalí, a chair, water, cats and paintings suspended in the air.

The photograph, which took 28 attempts to satisfy Halsman, also referenced Dalí's painting Leda Atomica (right of the photograph), which was, at the time, still unfinished. It was completed in 1949.

Jumpology

Philippe Halsman philosophized on jump photography, where he took photographs of his subject/s suspended in the air. He believed that jumping liberated subjects from their inhibitions. Halsman said in a feature by the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery, "When you ask a person to jump, his attention is mostly directed toward the act of jumping and the mask falls so that the real person appears."

Aside from Salvador Dalí, among the famous personalities captured by Halsman for his jump series included Marilyn Monroe, Audrey Hepburn, Grace Kelly, Richard Nixon and even the Ford family.

A version of the photograph before any post-production editing was applied. The cables and the assistant (left) can be seen while the painting in the center background hasn't been placed.

Background
Philippe Halsman was born in Riga, Latvia (used to be Russian Empire) in 1906 to a Jewish family. After studying engineering in Dresden, he moved to Paris in 1932 to setup his photographic career. By 1936, he was one of the most famous in photographers in France. However, the Nazi invasion in Paris forced Halsman to leave Europe and immigrate to America in 1940. He continued his career in photography in New York City working for Life.

Aside from his jump series, he worked on several editorials, fashion shoots, photojournalism projects, and other commercial and personal projects.

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Categories: Philippe Halsman, Photography, Salvador Dalí, Western Art