During this critique I will begin by dividing the composition in two disproportionate halves that will be referred to as “left side” and “right side” of the composition. I will begin my description of the composition by describing the background. The Persistence of Memory contains a background of a light blue horizon, which horizontally slowly fades downward from blue to yellow across the top quarter of the painting. Under the skyline sits a body of light blue water, or what looks to be a large lake or a reflecting pool. The body of water traces the skyline until it interacts with neighboring mountains to the right. I will now describe the rest of the composition in a counter-clockwise manner beginning with the left side.
On the left close to the water, there is a reflective, blue, elevated, rectangular platform with dark brown trimming around the edges. In front of this platform, is a single pebble. In front of the pebble, in the middle ground, lies a lifeless tree, missing all of its leaves and branches except one. The single branch has a silver pocket watch which appears to be melting, or sloping on the end of the branch showing the numbers three through nine. Only one hand of the watch is shown, pointing at the 6. The tree is located on top of a light brown square object. The brown object takes over the bottom left corner of the painting, and goes off the canvas. On this object there are two more pocket watches residing.
Under the tree and silver pocket watch lies a gold and melted pocket watch, hanging half way off the light brown cube. There is a fly on the face near the 1 o’clock mark. The fly is also casting a very small shadow under the 12 o’clock mark. Next to the gold pocket watch, in the foreground, is another pocket watch is bronze and shut. The exterior of the pocket watch is covered with lots of black ants. Unlike the other clocks, this is shut, and the only one that is not warped or melted. The ground in The Persistence of Memory is a dark brown that almost turns black in certain areas. On the right side of the composition lies a white figure in the middle ground on its right side with another silver-colored melting clock on its back. The white figure is human-like, with over exaggerated eyelashes. It appears to have amoustache and lips where eyebrows would be on a human face. Its nose is flared and has another small brown object coming out of the right nostril. The white figure has no limbs or other human-like characteristics. The rest of the scenery around the white figure is dark.
In the Persistence of Memory, Salvador Dali incorporates the elements of art. Line types incorporated in the painting include horizontal, vertical, diagonal, zig zag, and curve. For example, the use of horizontal lines are the lines used to create the horizon in the background, shore line, rectangular platform with dark brown trimming, light brown square object, and the single branch on the tree where one of the clocks is appearing to melt. Vertical lines used within the artwork are the lines used to create the rectangular platform with dark brown trimming, light brown square object in the foreground, the clock hands in the melting clock on the lifeless tree, the hands on the clock on top of the white human- like figure on the right middle ground, and a few lines in the mountain in the background.
Diagonal lines Dali incorporated in his artwork include the hands on the clock located on the light brown square object in the foreground, the branch on the single tree, and the small limb on the tree. Zig zag lines used are the lines in the mountain in the back ground. Curve lines incorporated in the artwork are used throughout the white human- like figure on the right side of the composition and the eyelashes.
Dali uses many line variations to give the objects form throughout his composition. The line variations Dali use in the painting vary on the shape which he is working with. Most of the painting contains lines that are relatively thin and similar in width, with the exception of the mountains, and the eyelashes of the white figure. For example, the length of the horizontal lines in the horizon and shore line give the water a long, sea – like look. The lines on the mountains are noticeable, and give them a rough realistic approach. On the white figure Dali uses different lengths and widths to create individuality in each lash. The line width of the blue, elevated, rectangular platform with dark brown trimming implies form for the figure. The thick width of the tree gives it form as well. The degree of curve for the white human- like figure gives a human – like structure, and gives the eyelashes a gentle and soft appearance. Implied lines is heavily used within the Persistence of Memory.
The human looking figure that lies in the middle of the painting seems to have an outline of sort around it, but that is simply caused by its shadow. The shoreline, the horizon where the ocean meets the sky, the mountain top, the dead trees, and the watches are all created through the usage of implied lines. On the tree, implied lines are used to make give the appearance of bark.
The Persistence of Memory has noticeable geometric shapes as well has free form shapes as well. The blue platform in the far corner is a solid three dimensional rectangle, as is the large brown cube in the foreground. The way that the clocks are melting adds a sense of movement and flimsiness. The mountains are recognizable shapes, along with the body of water surrounding them. The tree is easily identified, as are ants and the fly. The white figure has more of a free form structure, but it does contains human qualities, like the eyelashes and the nose but lacks a solid form. Expressive qualities of the composition is static. This is because the composition dominates horizontal lines which gives the impression of the artwork being stationary, or fixed. The composition also has a calm and relaxed feel, which can also imply it is static.
The ratio of positive to negative space in this composition is 10:1. There is a good balance on the positive and negative space. The use dark and light colors give the composition a nice balance between all the objects, and the painting is proportional. The composition has subjects surrounded by negative space. Dali uses the modeling technique by adding shadow and value to the figures. The values and shading in this painting are very drawn out and detailed. The ground is primarily solid brown, with vivid black shadows overpowering the landscape. He white figure has shading throughout its entire body. There is heavy shading on his head, nose eyelashes, and where its body touches the ground.
The natural illumination in the painting gives a hint that the time of day is either late afternoon around dusk or early morning around dawn. We know this because the band of yellowish light near the horizon line tells us the sun is just below the horizon line. The foreground is relatively dark on the right side compared to the distant horizon line, which explains that the light source in the composition comes from an unseen sun located on background left side of the work. The soft use of light creates a calm and relaxed mood in the composition.
Tints are located in the background to give the horizon a soft and less intense look. Tints are also used on the faces of the pocket watches and the water. Tone is used on the mountain top where there is a tone of green. Shades used in the composition are the yellow color of the mountains. The use of tints, tones, and shades give the composition a calm look. Shade is used when giving the ground a deep dark color. The composition is a low key composition. The majority of the colors used in the artwork have a darker value.
The color scheme along with the shading work to bring the painting to life. The colors are not vivid or bright. The composition colors are more saturated and dark. Dali uses shadow and color together to create a different experience. The colors in The Persistence of Memory are primarily warm, which includes lot of yellow, gold, black, and brown. The browns on the cube and the scenery range from light to dark. The mountains are a shade of yellow, along with a lot of what the sun touches in the painting. The watches are gold, silver, and bronze and have a shine to them because of the color and shading. There are also cool colors in this piece including blue, white, and silver. The faces of the clocks, tree, the fly’s shadow, the sky and water are all a blue tint, working with the warm colors to balance the painting. The composition includes both advancing and receding colors. The composition appears to be advancing in the foreground and receding in the background.
From smooth surfaces to rough and jagged objects, Dali intensifies the visual experience to create an imaginary sense of touch. The blue platform appears to have a smooth reflective surface, with a rough wooden underside. The tree in front of it has a course exterior with deteriorating bark. The clock on its single branch has a flexible but flimsy appearance to it. The large brown object with the other two clocks on top looks smooth and almost wooden. The pocket watch with the ants on it looks smooth and shiny. The gold pocket watch looks melted and squishy. The mountains in the background look ancient with noticeable signs of erosion. The water looks still, clear, reflecting the mountains in the landscape. The white figure’s skin is smooth as well, although the shading gives the impression that the figure’s body is wavy. The large eyelashes have a rough and soft texture, as does his nose and the rest of his face.
How does the arrangement of all previous elements aid in the overall clarity of this image? Is the Composition in a particular style or indicative of any Art Movements in history? Does the composition of the image help convey the artist’s visual message?
The pervious elements aid the overall clarity of this image by contributing to the artworks meaning and message. The composition is in the surrealism style of the surrealist art movement. During the surrealist movement, each artist relied on their own recurring motifs arisen through their dreams or/and unconscious mind. At its basic, the imagery is outlandish, perplexing, and even uncanny, as it is meant to jolt the viewer out of their comforting assumptions. The composition does help convey the artist’s visual message.
In the analysis phase I will discuss how this composition is approximately asymmetrical because when the composition is divided by the vertical central axis, the viewer will observe that each side of the composition is significantly different. This is achieved when Dali had more objects on the left side of the composition than on the right. Salvador Dali uses counter-balance to level the composition. On the left side of the composition, it has many more figures which include, three relatively large pocket watches, a lifeless tree, a rectangular figure and a brown square figure. On the opposite side, Dali has a relatively large white human looking figure with a small pocket watch on it, and some mountains in the background. The right side also has more empty space which counter balances it with the left side with a small amount of negative space, but more objects.
Salvador Dali uses an implication of movement to guide the viewer’s focus through visual pathways in the composition. The viewer’s eyes will move in a circular motion when observing the artwork. The eyes will begin at the single tree on the left side of the composition with the pocket watch sliding down. The pocket watch points to the two pocket watches on the square brown figure. The gold with a blue face pocket watch is sliding down to the white human-like figure. The figure guides the eye to the right side of the composition, which leads to the mountains in the background. The mountain then glides the viewers’ eyes across the water and horizon leading to the blue rectangular figure in the middle ground.
The landscape size is relatively small, but the proportion of the objects in the painting do not follow traditional standards. The pocket watches appear large and warped in every direction, while the tree holding the silver watch up is similar in size to the pocket watch.
The emphasis of the piece are the four melting clocks scattered throughout the painting. The white human-like figure draws attention as well. The use of shadows in the picture builds a strong contrast between sources of light and darkness. The lighting projects emphasis on the clocks and builds three dimensions using shadow and color in the white human looking figure and watches. The contrast also brings the three dimensional illusion to life, giving the painting its distinguishing features.
In the composition, all the clocks are different in the piece, the watches have the same qualities but they’re all presented different. The clocks are also on different surfaces such as the brown square figure, the tree limb, and the white human looking figure. This causes them to slope downwards to the bottom of the painting.
The artist used a repetition of similar looking clocks, but gave each clock a unique color. This gives harmony because he used a co-existence of similarities and differences in the design of the watches.
Salvador Dali’s composition appears to have unity. The use of repletion of the pocket watches create unity. The close proximity of all the watches help bring unity as well. The simplicity of the composition gives the overall feel of wholeness throughout the composition.
When I first observed this composition, it was hard understanding the meaning of the piece. I knew the melting clocks had a significant meaning, but I could not guess what they symbolled. I also did not initially guess what the white figure was on the left until I looked closely and noticed the eye lashes. After much examination of the composition I guess that the artist is trying to communicate that time is slowly the ending. I guessed this because all of the clocks appear to be sloping downwards at a slow motion which can mean an end.
After my thorough research, I discovered the significant meaning of the composition. The Persistence of Memory was painted in 1931, at the height of the Surrealist Movement. During this time, innovative artists explored ideas of automatism and the self-conscious in their work. This experimental approach to art culminated in a tendency toward peculiar subject matter that evokes dreams and challenges perceptions. Dalí painted The Persistence of Memory, his artistic practice was guided by the peculiar “paranoiac-critical method.” Developed by the artist in 1930, the technique relies on self-induced paranoia and hallucinations to facilitate a work of art. Salvador Dali never mentioned the true meaning of the melting clocks, but many scholars have interpreted their understanding of the clocks.
The artwork communicates to me that you should spend your time wisely because time is slowly drifting away. The composition has clocks sloping downwards which could imply that time is escaping. In my generation, we spend most of your time on our phones, watching television, playing video games, etc. Dali’s’ painting is communicating that if I do not use my time wisely my time would be wasted. The mood of the work is calm and relaxing. The use of colors give the composition a calm mood.
There is imagery in this piece that is used to represent other things. For example, the white human-like figure. The figure appears to be laying on its sided with a clock sloped over it. I believe this figure represents my generation. All we do is lay around and use technology, but the clock is on us slowly running out. Also, the human-like figure is thought to be a self-portrait of the artist. This interpretation is fitting, as Dalí is known for both his unconventional self-portrayals, like Soft Self-Portrait with Grilled Bacon, and his one-of-a-kind depictions of not-quite-human faces, like the figure in his painting, Sleep.
The Persistence of Memory is overall successful according to the three aesthetic theories; formalism, emotionalism, and socio-culturalism. His use of colors and lighting creates a three dimensional experience that was never seen before. The lifelike qualities and absurd creatures that inhabit the piece make it so good, and separate it from the rest. It is out of the ordinary and unique in its own way, giving it a deeper meaning that others may interpret differently. The different symbols, like the clocks, could mean something specific depending on the viewer; for example, it made me think of time running out.
This artwork conveys a social message. The use of clocks melting and sloping downwards signifies an important social message. The clocks are communicating a message in regards to time, but Dali has not given the true meaning behind the clocks. Because of the message the artwork is communicating, it is worth significant value. The mysterious meaning of the composition, which no one other than Salvador Dali, has a proven answer to gives the piece an important value.
This work is considered to be significant in art history. The Persistence of Memory is a characteristic of the Surrealist movement. Dali brings illusionist technique to the surrealist movement in order to capture the depth and magic of dream imagery and to comment on the societal state of being. The composition examines the subconscious world and attempts to delve into the depths of human psychology. By altering and manipulating concrete objects, Dali allows the viewer to escape reality and explore what lies beneath the surface.
I believe Dali did a good job using a select few colors to give the piece a calm and relaxing mood. The overall message Salvador Dali is trying to communicate seems meaningful, and the mysterious meaning makes a good composition. On the other hand, Dali should have gave the human- like figure a more representative look that the viewer can connect to.
