The Persistence of Memory (Entry #4)

The Persistence of Memory - Salvador Dali

The first impression I had from looking at this image was complete and utter confusion. What I believe the artist was trying to accomplish here (in their most-famous painting), was to render the unedited subconscious, as most “surrealist” artists did in their time. However, having looked back on it again, several years later and (hypothetically), much wiser than I was when I first viewed it, I can honestly say that it is now my favorite painting. The color scheme creates a mood of uncertainty, since there is a great amount of atmospheric perspective, and an even balance of contrasting warm and cool tones. This kind of perspective creates a vastness within the painting that is both frightening and thought provoking. I perceive the imagery of the clocks as a metaphor, for the transient and effervescent nature of time, reminding me that clocks – the method of time keeping – are just simply manmade creations, and that time may not follow the linear line we think we perceive it as. The incorporation of a small, cluster of ants and a singular fly as visual elements within the painting freak me out, since they are invasive, gross little nuisances in real life. Lastly, the white blob that is the visual center of the painting is the most haunting aspect. Seemingly composed of only a nose, and eyelashes, I think it is a strange distortion of the human visage (perhaps the author represented himself within the image?), yet it is eerie in the sense that it could represent the general disorganization of the subconscious. I truly do love this image, because every time I look at it, I feel a need to attempt to derive meaning from its madness.