![]() ![]() It is widely recognized and frequently referenced in popular culture, and sometimes referred to by more descriptive titles, such as “Melting Clocks”, “The Soft Watches” or “The Melting Watches”. First shown at the Julien Levy Gallery in 1932, since 1934 the painting has been in the collection of the Museum of Modern Art in New York City, which received it from an anonymous donor. Be that as it may, it is one work of art which will never fade away and will always provoke arguments and interpretations.“The Persistence of Memory” is a 1931 painting by artist Salvador Dalí, and one of the most recognizable works of surrealism. To others it is junk, or at the best, the painting of a madman. ![]() For those who favor the Surrealist genre of art, it is a masterpiece. Criticism and praise have been heaped on The Persistence of Memory, in equal measure. The painting has attracted the attention of art lovers for decades. Who knows, that may be what Dali intended. In a strange sort of way, each of us could interpret it in our own way and would all be right. Whatever Dali wanted to convey by the painting, he took the interpretation with him to his grave. When Dali was asked if this allusion to Einstein’s Theory of Relativity was true, he replied, rather flippantly, that it was a surrealist vision of Camembert cheese melting in the heat of the sun.Įxperts have said that The Persistence of Memory was a painting during his Freudian phase of life, before the Atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki propelled him into his scientific phase. The art critic Dawn Ades wrote that “the soft watches are an unconscious symbol of the relativity of space and time”. There have been so many interpretations and analysis of The Persistence of Memory, but Dali never himself interpreted or explained his work. ![]() The strange human figure in the center could be interpreted, as a formless person we would imagine, while we are in a dreamlike trance. He used the symbolism to convey the decay of time or death (and at times, the female genitalia). ![]() There is an orange clock covered with ants. The melting watches points to time being flowing and eternal, whereas the hard rocks are the reality of life and the ocean represents the vastness of the earth. Looking carefully you can see too small rocks, one in the sunlight and the other in the shadow.ĭali frequently used the philosophy of hard and soft in his paintings. A part of the painting is basked in sunlight and a part is shrouded in a shadow. The Persistence of Memory depicts a scene showing pocket watches, detached from their chains, melting slowly on rocks and branches of a tree, with the ocean as a back drop. It uses the concept of hard and soft objects. At times this art, which is a free flowing expression of the artist’s imagination, is difficult to interpret and The Persistence of Memory is no exception. Surrealist works of art feature an element of surprise, unforeseen comparisons, and irreverent humor. Surrealism was a cultural movement which had its origins in the 1920’s. The surrealist artist Salvador Dali (to January 23, 1989) was born in Figueres, Spain. It has a huge fan following to date and is frequently referred to in popular culture. It is currently housed in the Museum of Modern Art, New York. The Persistence of Memory was painted by Salvador Dali in 1931 and is one of his most famous works. The Discovery of America by Christopher Columbus, 1959 The Disintegration of the Persistence of Memory, 1952-1954 ![]()
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