The unconscious creates art, or rather art is the manifestation of the human unconscious. Even Dali’s critics conceded this during times of war; surreal creation was a worthy counterattack.

Dali rejected harmonious Apollonian virtues and described himself as “the Nietzsche of the irrational,” following the Dionysian path of chaos instead, reflected in his works.

Dali’s surrealism complemented Nietzsche’s philosophies in its desire to distort the Apollonian illusion of perceived reality. Themes of sex, violence, destruction, and dreamscapes in Dali’s works exemplify this.