Salvador Dalí is probably one of the best-known artists of the Surrealist period, as well as a very influential figure in modern art. Although he was formally expelled from the Surrealist movement years before his death, one could not consider himself a true Surrealist without having studied Dalí's background, methods, philosophies, inspirations, and influences. Salvador Felipe Jacinto Dalí y Domenech was born in the city of Figueres, Spain to Felipa Domenech Ferrés and Salvador Dalí y Cusí. His life of eccentricity perhaps began when young Salvador's parents told him that he was the reincarnation of his late older brother (also named Dalí). Dalí observed that "[we] were as alike as two drops of water, but we had different reflections." He stated that "... he was probably an early version of myself, but he conceived too much in the absolute." This idea surrounding his brother would later become the subject of some of Salvador's works. Dalí's artistic nature and bizarre tendencies were received very differently by each of his parents. While his mother was often supportive of his artistic ventures, the elder Dalí, a notary and lawyer, did not approve of them and showed very little tolerance for her son's interests. Despite this distinct disgust, he allowed his son to attend several art institutions when he and his wife recognized the amount of talent the young Dalí possessed. He attended the Colegio de Hermanos Maristas and the Instituto at 12 and enrolled in the Academia de Fernando at 18. Dalí held his first public art exhibition when he was 15 years old. The focus of Dalí's energy changed dramatically when he met Elena Dmitrievna Diakonova, a Russian immigrant (who is often referred to as "... middle of paper.... .. Illness left him unable to paint (due to tremor chronic pain and weakness in his hands), quickly ending his painting career. To add insult to injury, Dalí's wife died just two years after his beloved, he fell into an inescapable depression. After another two years, Dalí manages to survive to a near-fatal fire (with the help of friends), but is confined to a wheelchair due to his injuries. Soon after recovering from the heart failure in November 1988, Dalí finally succumbs to the power of time (e of a weak heart) and died on January 23, 1989. Although Dalí has ​​been dead for over two and a half decades, his influence on modern Surrealist art has all but disappeared. Creating such iconic and controversial masterpieces, Salvador Dalí shaped the future of art history throughout the world.