It blew my mind that this painting is as slightly bigger than the average print paper, and it gives me encouragement that not every painting masterpieces should fill the whole wall; it could even be the size of a print paper.
I've never really been into art and usually get bored very quickly when dome talks about a painting. I found your video by accident and, out of curiosity, watched it. I really enjoyed your analysis and explanations. Thank you.
Can I just say that I really appreciate the way you've analysed this painting, I totally agree with all your opinions and your research is done really well! I find it rare to come across an analysis that cuts straight to the facts and doesn't use big fancy words to make them sound like they know what they're talking about. Loved it! Thank you
Enjoyed your analysis. Perhaps the greatest surrealist work of all. Reminds me of the moments just as one is falling asleep. Reality and dreamscape seem to merge together. Time seems to have a soft, plastic, flowing feel. It is discreet, sleepy, weird but knowing. Cheers. Iain. London
Thanks for the analysis of this crucial work of art. Finding a video that analyse art so painstakingly is really great. I have done some (on ilya Repin´s works) myself but, so far, there seems to be little interest. Yours is a valuable work: so far I had regarded Dali´s and the surrealistic paintings like Paul Delvaux or René Magritte as something strictly scientific: an illustration of what we see in our dreams during the REM phase; when the neural networks in charge of time and space are switched off. And also the emotional impact on those images; as the Limbic system, in charge of emotions, goes on working and, therefore, plays a most important role in our dreams. Congratulations, and let´s go on with the really helpful work.
Actually this painting lives up to its name. I am not usually an arts fan, but this one truly drew me to itself and kept pulling itself up from my memory time and time again. This is truly genius.
I know this was posted years ago but I've got to say this. You really did do a very good job with all of your research and data. Sooo, well done. That being said, I think a couple things were missed. I went through all the comment to see if anyone else caught on but I guess I'm it. What people said was a board behind the tree ... it's a short rock wall. What u.s said to be a "human form," "an eye," "eyelashes," etc ... Am I the only one who noticed the giant snake coiled up, causing the bulge on the left side of the fabric above the "eyelashes?" However, I CAN'T figure out the bulge on the right side of the fabric.
I believe the the melting face is directly correlated to the the name "persistence of memory" like a face of someone you haven't seen in years your brain make's out a simple form but simply cannot remember it as it really looked like. the ants and the fly symbolize decay but more than just that . in describing the 4th dimension humanity is often compared to ants with a civilization or colony, only able to move in a single line, of time. while the fly would be a 4th dimensional creature being able to fly and land in any point of time.
I experience lucid dreams, where I dream for hours at a time basically the whole night I maintain extended periods of REM sleep induced by over a decade of cannabis use, I wake up in cold sweats and when I return to sleep I usually continue my dreams at the same point where I left, or I jump to another point of the timeline in the same dream universe if that makes sense.. Just how there’s things in my dreams that I see because I was thinking of them when I went to sleep, or things that I do in my dreams because I know that I want to do them, I’ve noticed that there are things in my dreams that are not there for any particular reason, for instance road signs, trees,doors,spoons,keys,other cars,the floor,extra people, things that simply fill the space of my dreams that would otherwise be vacant. These things have no underlying meaning. And I find that the meaning in my dreams is usually more easily understood literally. When we take our dreams and try to give meaning to things that don’t have meaning, we end up distorting and clouding the real meaning of our dreams. With that said, this is my approach to surrealism. And I think that was Dali’s approach too. He said he drew the watches melting because he saw cheese melting in the sun. Scholars and over thinkers try to say this relates to the theory of relativity or quantum mechanics and blah blah blah blah blah..this is nothing more than scared, confused over thinkers trying to give meaning to things that don’t have it. Much like I had a piece of cake in my dreams because I wanted cake earlier in the day, It really could be that simple. Dali then probably went on to use these chaotic and otherwise meaningless visions as an inspiration to find meaning. This is life, it’s what we all do it’s our nature to long for meaning in things that otherwise lack it, man fears not knowing. So I believe that Dali didn’t give meaning by drawing but by titling his paintings to make some sense of the chaos. I believe it’s important to read the title first, this will show and guide you to the meaning that Dali found in his chaotic paintings. This would be the creators interpretation of his creation, or what Aristotle would consider “the 1st movement” from which all other “movements” or interpretations come from. With that said When I read “the persistence of memory” and look a this painting. I realize that it’s about exactly that..the persistence of memory with the passage of time..it’s an oxymoron, memory fades with time, that is the persistence of memory. It has none, if we don’t forget, our flesh will and our children will, and if they don’t humanity will..memory melts slowly until it decays completely that is the persistence of memory. Stop trying to give meaning to spoons,tables and other things that just fill the space and focus on the primary concepts. With my interpretation I believe it’s much easier to find meaning in the whole of the painting, including the title and the monster/fear who has yet to arise from the melting memories, or the flies which bluntly represent your decay.
I ended up here from the Dreams episode, in the TV show on Netflix called "The Mind Explained", where there is a correlation between lucid dreaming and the surrealist artist Salvador Dalí.
Thank you for this ! Your analysis and voice was perfect. Lover everything ❤️ I am still searching for any logic or reason for this painting’s fame. He probably did not even know what he is creating. Its probably his luck that made people to feel like this painting is something else. Its just a trashy thing otherwise.
The arts were still assimilating Einstein's Special Relativity and General Relativity when this was painted. General Relativity detailed four dimensions, three of space and one of time, comprising spacetime. General Relativity described the curvature of spacetime due to gravity. Dali is representing the curvature of time, and space, in one image. Dali had fun with the public. Melting cheese? Of course! He loved that anyone would take that seriously.
I think The Persistence of Memory is the best that he's ever done.I have this hanging up on the wall in my office because I think it's very significant in the world as it is now.
Hi Kendra - Thanks for your video. My perspective on this painting. The barren tree represents the wasted (spent) tree of life, the block of wood - the progression and refinement of one's work during life. The non melted watch with the ants on it, the activity of life or the legacy one leaves behind. The watch with the fly on it - disease. The white object on it's side is an exhausted Dali (See the eyelash and the tongue sticking out). The darkness of the beach representing death. The flat water represents eternity and the board or plank behind the tree may represent the boredom of eternity. As the watches melt, so does ones memories eventually.There is a lot going on here and it is subjective. Many interpretations are possible.
If you read the time on the clock from top to bottom... Concatenate them... Then split in 2.....you will get coordinates of the location in the painting.
I think this painting was representing space and time. The watches were man's wrong interpretation of time, it works but it's not very efficient. It keeps us running around in circles but then it sits lazing in one place only moving it's hands. The geometric shape and tree represent time, what we found as humanity and what we created, the interaction of everything around us is what creates time. Like the sun going up means morning, the moon in the sky symbolizes night time, the tiny bell ring in the afternoon represents lunch. Dali was saying subconsciously that time isn't physical, time is the interactions made by man and his environment. Dali was Tryna say that man is master of his environment and it literally bends to his will but he sits on the physical interpretation of time. At least that's what I saw too.
Your speech is in the gravelly back of your throat - known as vocal fry - also your lack of enunciation and monotone delivery make it difficult to listen to you for very long. Sorry, but I hope to improve your vocal presentation.
My opinion is that most analysis of painted artworks are complete bullsh*t. This is particularly evident by the divergent views, and especially that the artist himself does not corroborate them in his own words.
