The Persistence of Memory - Essay Example

The Persistence of Memory: Salvador Dalis 1931 painting d The Persistence of Memory is an intriguing work of modern art. The artwork became an instant success with the public audience and continues to be Dalis most recognized work. At the core of the painting is Dalis perception of physical objects as either hard or soft. The depiction of soft pocket watches in the backdrop of the landscape of Port Lligat comprises its unique appeal. In Dalis own words, the artwork is a “hand painted dream photograph”, which projects a dream-like imagery.

The central theme of the painting is the melting watch, which is a recurrent object in many of Dalis paintings. The painting is best known for its surrealistic elements and can appear to be irrational, unsettling, paradoxical or even nonsensical. But beneath the veneer of this confusion lies its aesthetic merit and conceptual integrity. In the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) where it is currently displayed, it is placed alongside The Disintegration of Persistence of Memory, which was painted twenty years later and meant to be a revision of the earlier work.

It is interesting to note that in the intervening period the Second World War happened, which significantly altered Dalis understanding of reality. Also, in the years between 1931 and 1954, Albert Einsteins General Theory of Relativity would become highly acclaimed. This had a profound effect on artists and intellectuals of the time, including Salvador Dali. In this context, it is instructive to study Dalis watches as a manifestation of such theoretical physics concepts as the time-space continuum, time-warp, etc.

This internal transformation in the artists understanding of physical reality would manifest itself in his later works. Hence a comparative study of The Persistence of Memory and its revised version would not only give insights into the mind of the artist but also the evolving geo-political realities and scientific discoveries of the twentieth century. It is due to aforementioned special qualities of the work that I chose it for my 3D project. Moreover, I took it up as a challenge to replicate disfigured pocket watches shown in the painting.

But this task is not easy due to certain reasons. For example, creating soft watches in 2D is relatively easier than in 3D, for it is easier for the 2D artist to suspend laws of physics in favor of the idea he projects. Further, it is not always feasible to replicate in 3D what was depicted in 2D. I took inspiration from the fact that Dali himself had overcome these challenges in creating sculptures of his soft watches toward the end of his career. By studying his sculptures carefully, I was able to infer the techniques he must have used in making them.

One of the highlights of The Persistence of Memory is the contrasting hues of blue and orange that the artist employs to color the watches. While the three melting watches are shown in blue, the single rotting watch is shown in orange with ants eating it away. In my 3D replicas, such thematic elements as color are not given focus. Instead I have focussed on getting the shape and structure of the watches right, for these are the more challenging aspects of the project. When the watches are illuminated by a lighting source, it is important that the shadows thrown by raised elements such as the clock-needle, clock numerals, etc add to the overall effect of the sculpture.

Hence, Ive focussed on the surface indentation of the watches as well.