Salvador Dalis The Persistence of Memory and its Description - Essay Example

 An Essay on Salvador Dali’s The Persistence of Memory Introduction Salvador Dali’s The Persistence of Memory is one of the leading symbols of Surrealist Art in the world. Surrealism as a cultural movement had greatly affected Art in the 1920s and was an outcome of the Dada Movement in Paris started by Andre Breton. Surrealist works are prone to reflect elements of surprise and unexpected juxtapositions- they focus on psychological aspects rather than elements of rational thought. Surrealism depicts the real functioning of thought, or the absence of control exercised by reason- as in the manner of pure psychic automatism. I would like to apply this knowledge to Dali’s The Persistence of Memory. There are certain elements of art and at the same time certain principles of design that depict this artwork as being one of the strongest examples of Surrealism. It is said that the idea for this painting occurred to Dali upon noting the melting of cheese, and he got the remaining elements in a dream. Discussion One interpretation could be that the use of melting watches as the subject matter indicates that Salvador Dali in this work used these objects as a reminder to the viewer that time is always fleeting and it is slipping away from us even as we speak or view the painting. At the same time, the clock literally is a very clear illustration of time gone by which tells us of things that we cannot get back anymore or perhaps gives the notion of fleeting objects. At the same time, the use of a clock metaphorically can be attributed to our memories. Another interpretation that has been suggested is that this work shows the irrelevance of time while we sleep compared to our preoccupation with it during our waking hours. It is said that Dali painted this work in an era of his life in which he was influenced by Sigmund Freud’s psychoanalytical theories about memory and the interpretation of dreams (Dali et al). It is not difficult to imagine the artist’s concept of a dreamlike state of time and memory being depicted through this painting. One can also relate this painting to the function of recall in memory- there are fleeting glimpses or feelings of having met someone before upon crossing them in the street and suddenly it all connects and the memory solidifies and becomes clear a bit later. Another oddity that can be pointed out is that while nearly all the clocks are shown melting away, the orange one on the extreme left on the wooden block is the only one that retains its shape. It is seen that ants have selected the center of it as a focal point of sorts. Perhaps this is depicting our preoccupation with time during our waking hours by the artist. Dali was known to refer to his paintings as ‘hand painted dream photographs’. Indeed, The Persistence of Memory can fit this definition rather well. There is an ethereal feel to the whole painting, and one can further appreciate this when one hears the title that it is famed with. As a whole, the artwork tells a story where the fading clock is a strong symbolism for human memory which is something that we want to hold on to for as long as we can- and yet it is able to slip away. The concept of melting clocks illustrates this very well. There is also the irony that the painting communicates especially creating the mood through the strong contrast between the light and dark colors. It is also surprising to note that this painting which gave Dali worldwide recognition at the tender age of 27 originally measures only 9.5 inches x 13 inches- while most of us would imagine it to be much larger taking into consideration its wonderful and rather unique subject matter. Its delicate subject matter is nevertheless portrayed by Dali’s unmistakable trademark brown, yellow and blue hues. A look at the painting would indicate a smooth free flowing texture that is enhanced by the lighter colors (blue, yellow) and stymied by the heavier colors (brown). Dali’s analysis of color theory and also how to produce the colors he used in his paintings is admirably reproduced in 50 Secrets of Magic Craftsmanship (Dali 126-148) At first glance, you would be able to see the opposing reflection of softness and hardness theory. The right hand side of the painting is overshadowed by darker hues and colors, while the left side seems enveloped in light. The viewer will most likely be drawn to the fetus or embryo like shape in the middle of the painting upon which a clock is melting, and then move on to the other ones on the tree trunk and the wooden block on the left. Another preferred vantage point is starting from the mountains on the extreme right and moving down to the left in a diagonal like trajectory. Hardly anyone I know would start on the upper left hand corner and move downwards to the right. This probably was also known by Dali who places objects and open space in a juxtaposition anticipating this field of vision. In this painting, Dali has also used the variety of shape and form to good effect. It can be seen that the artist uses free form or natural shapes to demonstrate the softness of the art that would give the viewer an illusion of softness and non rigidity- while using a mixture of the three-dimensional shapes and lines such as of the trunk that help the painting achieve the clarity of hardness. We are thus able to make a comparison between what stays and what is fleeting. Also, the contrast of dark and light colors here as repeatedly used by Dali creates a balance between the irony of our memories fleeting and at the same time the reality that time is something that is supposed to slip away. When it comes to the principles of design, movement is one of the greatly used principles in this artwork. By using of the soft elements of the artwork such as the melting clock and letting it fill up negative space which is space around the hard objects and make it lean towards it, copying the shape of the latter. Indeed, the artist leaned on the use of movement to express a fading and melting state of the clock, directing it to the copy the shape or direction of the hard objects. Also, the clock is a strong symbol has been repeatedly used to represent time or memory (Etherington-Smith 30). When it comes to proportion, there is consistency portrayed in the artwork by pairing a balanced number of the hard objects with the soft ones, making the meaning being reflected by the artwork consistent. Also, emphasis is used through the contrast of dark and bright colors to express reality and at the same time the irony we face when we want to bring back memories and yet it has its way of making us forget. Conclusion Indeed, The Persistence of Memory is an artwork that expresses the hard reality about time and memory constantly fleeting away and yet still is able to portray this in a less heavy manner by using abstract style and design. It is small wonder that Salvador Dali’s The Persistence of Memory is one of the most widely recognized pieces of Surrealist art in the world today- and one that has been given a particular place in pop culture as well. Works Cited Etherington-Smith, Meredith. The Persistence of Memory: A Biography of Dali. Da Capo Books, 1995. Print. The Dali Dimension: Decoding the Mind of a Genius. Dali, Salvador (Author); MarquAs, Susie &Ubeda, Joan (Directors). Music Video Distributors, 2008. Film. Dali, Salvador & Chevailer, Haakon M. (Trans). 50 Secrets of Magic Craftsmanship. Dover Fine Art Paperbacks, 1992. Print. Read More