The Persistence of Memory free essay sample

Dali uses strange images, color, and shadows in The Persistence of Memory to convey an abstract view on dreams, time, and reality. Beginning in the 1920s the surrealist movement sought to present unreal and abstract representations of life by using elements of surprise and non-sequiturs. Dali’s The Persistence of Memory does just that. Perhaps the most recognizable and enigmatic aspect of Dali’s iconic painting is the assortment of melting, oversized pocket-watches. The first pocket-watch is draped over what appears to be a table. Growing out of that table is a barren tree trunk with a single protruding branch over which the second melting pocket-watch is draped. The final melting pocket-watch is draped over a strange, amorphous figure that appears to have an eye. The melting or â€Å"soft† character of the pocket-watches provokes much shock and confusion. The melting pocket-watches represent the uncertainty and irrelevance of human perception, specifically time. Similar to Einstein’s Theory of Relativity, Dali’s pocket-watches illustrate the superfluous nature of time in that although we as humans attempt to quantify it and understand it, time is actually a malleable function of surrounding phenomenon. Dali uses ambiguity in The Persistence of Memory to evoke feelings of anxiety in the audience. The foreground of the painting shows an amorphous creature with a liquefying pocket-watch draped over it. The figure appears to be somewhat animal-like and partially ethereal, as it seems to be slowly fading away. The perplexing identity of the figure serves to instill anxiety in the audience because of its somewhat realistic representation that is sullied with a twisted, dream-like essence. The disconcerting figure has a closed eye with long eyelashes and appears to be sleeping. This puzzling image represents the elusive nature of dreams and the way that dreamers can never fully or accurately recount the details of a dream. If we examine the background of the painting there is a barren expanse of desert with a shiny metallic table and a singular stone on the left side of the frame. The audience does not know the exact size of the metallic table because it continues off the frame. The unknown size of the table illustrates the fact that our idea of perception is actually vague and limited by our closed minded and one-dimensional desire to be completely in control of our surroundings. Dali provides no context clues as to the weather conditions of this dreamscape. There are no clouds, no snow, no heat waves, and no tumbleweeds blowing in the wind. Because of this, the audience does not know whether the environment is hot, cold, or in between. Dali uses this vagueness to instill anxiety in the audience caused by uncertainty and inability to control the surroundings. In The Persistence of Memory, Dali uses soft shades of blue, yellow, and brown to provide calming contrast to the feelings of anxiousness evoked by the irrational, disorderly, and paranormal aspects of the painting. The only object that strays from the soft colored motif is the bright orange pocket-watch on what appears to be a desk in the foreground. Not only does the pocket watch have a distinct color but it is also the only hard, non-melting pocket-watch. The orange pocket-watch, which is being swarmed by ants, represents the anxieties associated with the concrete perception of time like being late or getting older. Along the same vain, the orange pocket watch can also represent death and decay as the only factors of life that are not free of the irrelevancy of time. Dali uses light and shadows to evoke a dreamlike state of perception. In the background we see two tiny rocks, one in the shadows and one in the light while everything in the foreground is engulfed in shadow. The only other things that are in the light are the ocean and the craggy rock structure. Clearly, a majority of the painting is engulfed in shadow. This dichotomy between light and shadow represents the difference between conscious and unconscious perception, between certainty and uncertainty. Since a majority of the painting is consumed by shadow, Dali is implying that humans can barely be certain about their conscious perception. Alternatively, Dali could be using the light as a symbol of hope and certainty that is largely overwhelmed by the uncertainty created when humans attempt to fully understand and control their surroundings. The surrealist movement of the 1920s-1930s was largely based on the notion that excessive rational thought is a catalyst of conflict and war throughout the world. Salvador Dali’s The Persistence of Memory does much to reflect the anxieties and uncertainties of humans entering a modern era by exposing psychological truths using the vector of irrational and compelling images. The anxieties and uncertainties reflected in Dali’s 1931 painting are directly related to the uncomfortable era that straddles two world wars. This interwar period in which Dali created The Persistence of Memory was marked by much turmoil as Europe attempted to recover from the First World War. It was this dark era that saw a worldwide economic depression as well as the rise of Nazism. Perhaps more relevant to the life of Dali was the Spanish Civil War, which saw its beginnings during this fateful time period. It was these unsettling events along with other defining misfortunes of the interwar period that reflect themselves in The Persistence of Memory. At its core, surrealist art is meant to unlock the power of imagination and cause the audience to take a long and introspective look at what they believe to be the rational world and Dali’s painting does just that. Dali’s The Persistence of Memory has since become one of the most recognizable paintings in art history because of its incredible power to provoke deep contemplation on questions of existence, understanding and perception.