Food - Drink
The Sea Urchin Eating Ritual That Helped Salvador Dalí Paint
By CLARICE KNELLY
The Spanish artist Salvador Dalí had a peculiar personality, full of idiosyncrasies and quirks, some of which he revealed in his book, “50 Secrets of Magic Craftsmanship.” In the book, secret number four has to do with sea urchins, and Dangerous Minds notes that this section is titled “the secret of the sea-urchin slumber,” laying out the painter’s ritual.
Dalí’s book suggests “[eating] three dozen sea urchins, gathered on one of the last two days that precede the full moon, choosing only those whose star is coral red.” These urchins, according to Dalí, have “sedative and narcotic virtues so special and so propitious to your approaching slumber.”
The artist adds that this sea urchin binge needs to be followed up with a four-and-a-half-hour nap, after which they need to stare at their blank canvas and wait for inspiration to hit. Several paintings by Dalí include beautiful renditions of sea urchins, including his whimsical 1967 painting, “Sea Urchin.”