The Persistence of Memory

Week 11

The Persistence of Memory

Salvador Dali

Oil on Canvas, 1931

91/2 by 13 inches

The Museum of Modern Art, New York

            This painting is depicting a lot of movement. All of the clocks in the painting are melting as if time is not stable. The clocks are the only thing melting in this painting. Everything else is stable and in its place. However in the bottom corner there is a pocket watch that looks like it isn’t melting. There are different types of lines in this painting. There are contours and outlines which are creating shapes. The clocks are depicting a lot of direction and movement to create the look of not being still or melting. The shapes in this painting are both organic and geometric. There are a lot of primary colors and warmer colors. There is a lot of wasted space in this painting. But it makes your eye look towards a certain part immediately.

            I think the purpose of this artwork is to demonstrate life and how people take the time they have for granted. The clocks are melting as if time doesn’t matter at all. This painting could be representing life and how people don’t use every minute of their life to the fullest. The social issue if chose to go along with this is the environment. The painting is representing clocks being outside in a deserted looking place. I think that this painting is representing how we take time and our world around us for granted. And we need to learn to take care of it. I think that this painting is just representing life in general.

            This painting really makes you think. People probably have all different perceptions of what it is trying to say. But I think that it changed how people think of their own lives in general. And it maybe even makes you think about how precious each day is and how precious the time is that you have to live. I think that this is a really neat painting. It depicts time in such a unique way.