Table of ContentsDive Deeper into the Composition of Persistence of MemoryAnalysis of the Psychological Characteristics of Dali's “The Persistence of Memory”Concluding ThoughtsWorks CitedI Have Always wanted to learn more about art history and the connotations that artists try to convey through their works. When I visited the Museum of Modern Art, there were sculptures, artwork, and architecture that would have made great choices for studying and writing. I narrowed my choices to Vincent van Goughs' The Starry Night (1889), Salvador Dali's The Persistence of Memory (1931), and Henry Rousseau's The Sleeping Gypsy (1897). In the end, I chose The Persistence of Memory because every detail of this work aroused my curiosity. First, the artwork is not as large as other paintings at MoMA, but its concept is unlike any other. Next, The Persistence of Memory is enclosed in a glass-covered box, almost as if we are looking through a three-dimensional window. Finally, inside the box there is an olive green velvet border around the painting, which Salvador Dalí himself applied. Her attention to detail was exquisite as the olive green velvet border looked just as graceful as the vibrant colors used in the painting. Each decision regarding abstract objects, elements, media, representation and illusion helps convey Dalí's message so precisely, but also in unexpected ways. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay Dive deeper into the composition of The Persistence of Memory The composition consists of planes (flat surfaces giving direction to the artwork), asymmetrical balance, and illusions of depth . , impeccable line details, manipulation of shapes and dreamlike colors. To begin, Dalí creates several shots, producing a box that is seen in the lower left corner of the canvas. The dead tree emerging from the other side of the box has a horizontal and vertical orientation. Additionally, the human-like “creature” in the central foreground of the painting is depicted in a diagonal plane. Then, an asymmetrical balance is present in this painting because the objects are positioned juxtaposed but still maintain balance. The clock at the bottom left of the painting is large but you still notice the little ants positioned just above the clock. Additionally, the pocket watch is painted a brighter golden orange intensity than the lighter "melting" blue watches. Dalí uses “hard and soft” objects to give additional distinction to the objects. Pocket watches are depicted as pieces of cheese because they melt, producing a psychological effect of time diminishing or disappearing. Platforms and cliffs are depicted as hard objects to symbolize reality. Third, the cliffs (captured from the environments of Dali's home) and the ocean create an illusion of depth. Concerning the detail of the lines; This artwork consists of thin, angular lines capturing the crests of the cliffs, thin lines depicting the delicate eyelashes of the humanoid, and rigid vertical lines on the tree. Salvador Dalí manipulated the reality of shapes in The Persistence of Memory because we know the clocks are round, but in the painting they are biomorphic (moving as if they were living creatures). The blue watch on the left platform appears to slide off the platform. Finally, thisThe work uses analogous hues of yellow, brown and blue with varying values ​​and intensities. There is a bright sun in the upper right and shadows as your eyes move to the left of the painting. The methodology I would like to use to interpret The Persistence of Memory by Salvador Dalí is psychoanalysis, which is a division of psychology founded by Sigmund Freud. . Psychoanalysis helps us understand how creativity, dream imagery, and real history can collaborate in the production of surrealist paintings. In psychoanalysis, imagery is derived from dreams, neurological symptoms or jokes through which the unconscious is revealed. The psychoanalytic approach uses other methodologies in order to gain a psychological understanding of the work of art and its impact on the viewer. The iconography is shown using the meaning of watches in our reality to interpret their meaning in the painting. The biography is displayed because the painting contains elements from the life of Salvador Dali. Dalí induced neurological symptoms to create art by subjecting himself to hypnosis in order to experience hallucinations. The Persistence of Memory was created by Salvador Dalí as a “dream photograph,” in which the vivid colors flow elegantly and the finished painting resembles a photograph taken with a camera. “Dalí painted with what he called “the most imperialist fury of precision,” but only, he said, “to systematize confusion and thus contribute to completely discrediting the world of reality.” I believe that Dali wants to discredit reality to demonstrate his belief in surrealism, which consists of joining the conscious (reality) and the unconscious (dreams) to create an absolute or complete reality (Britannica). In absolute reality, we understand that watches represent the narrative of time, but they also symbolize the time that becomes nonexistent in Dali's "dream photography." Dali wants to take the viewer out of what he believes to be reality and encourage curiosity. Salvador Dali uses an illusionist style to trick our eyes (trompe l'oeil) by painting a side profile of his own face in the middle of the foreground of the painting. We see eyelashes painted on a closed eye (in a dream), his nose, an unforgettable mustache and his mouth open as if he was snoring.Analysis of the psychological characteristics of "The Persistence of Memory" by DaliSalvador Dalí, born in Catalonia, Spain (1904), was one of the founders of the surrealist movement. The movement was born in Paris during the First World War (early 1920s) and succeeded the Dada movement. Surrealism is a cultural movement in which works of art are composed of elements of surprise, imagination, and fluid expression. The current term surrealism is defined as being above reality or "a state of being that is more real than mere appearance." Surrealism was founded on Sigmund Freud's studies of how dream analysis and the unconscious can allow imagination to manifest into reality. Surrealist artists went against the norms of traditional art (derived from logic) by drawing on their dreams/fantasies to create art. Salvador Dalí's Persistence of Memory embodies surrealism because hard objects in reality have acquired the properties of soft objects, which is physically impossible but can be imagined or dreamed of. Additionally, the orange pocket watch covered in ants symbolizes that real physical time is no longer relevant. Additionally, when asked to explain this painting, Dalí stated that the clock found on the dead tree was inspired by the appearance of melting Camembert cheese..