IndexDive deeper into the composition of the Persistence of MemoryAnalysis of the psychological characteristics of Dali's "The Persistence of Memory"Final ThoughtsWorks CitedI have always wanted to know the history of art and the connotations that artists try to convey through their works. During my visit to the Museum of Modern Art, there were sculptures, works of art and architecture that would make for a great selection to study and write about. I narrowed my choices to The Starry Night (1889) by Vincent van Goughs, The Persistence of Memory (1931) by Salvador Dali, and The Sleeping Gypsy (1897) by Henry Rousseau. Ultimately, I chose The Persistence of Memory because every detail of this artwork piqued my curiosity. First, the artwork is not as large as other paintings in MoMA, but its concept is also unmatched. Next, The Persistence of Memory is encased in a glass-covered box display, almost as if we were looking through a three-dimensional window. Finally, inside the box there is an olive green velvet border around the painting, created by Salvador Dalí himself. His attention to detail was exquisite because the olive green velvet border looked just as graceful as the vibrant colors used in the painting. Every decision regarding abstract objects, elements, mediums, representation and illusion work together to 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 Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay A deeper dive into the composition of The Persistence of Memory The composition consists of planes (flat surfaces that give direction in the artwork), asymmetrical balance, illusions of depth, flawless line details, manipulation of shapes and dreamlike colors. To begin, Dalí creates multiple planes, producing a box that we see in the lower left corner of the canvas. The dead tree emerging from the opposite side of the box has a horizontal and vertical orientation. Furthermore, the human-like “creature” at the center of the painting is shown on a diagonal plane. Next, an asymmetrical balance is present in this painting because the objects are placed juxtaposed but still maintain balance. The clock at the bottom left of the painting is large but you can still notice the tiny ants positioned right above the clock. Additionally, the pocket watch is painted with a brighter orange-golden intensity than the lighter blue watches that "melt". Dalí uses 'hard and soft' objects to give further distinction to the objects. Pocket watches are depicted as pieces of cheese because they are melting, producing the psychological effect of time decreasing or vanishing. Platforms and cliffs are depicted as hard objects to symbolize reality. Third, the cliffs (captured from the environments of Dali's house) and the ocean create an illusion of depth. As for the details of the line; this artwork consists of thin, angular lines capturing the crests of the cliffs, thin lines representing the humanoid's delicate eyelashes, and stiff vertical lines on the tree. Salvador Dalí manipulated the reality of forms in The Persistence of Memory because we know that the clocks are round but, in the painting, they are biomorphic (they move as if they were living creatures). The blue clock on the left platform appears to slide off the platform. Finally, this artwork uses similar shades of yellow, brown and blue with varying values ​​and intensities. There is bright sunlight at the top ofright and shadows as your eyes travel to the left of the painting. The methodology I would like to use in interpreting Salvador Dalí's The Persistence of Memory is psychoanalysis, which is a division of psychology founded by Sigmund Freud. Psychoanalysis helps us understand how creativity, dream imagery, and real history can work together in the production of surrealist paintings. In psychoanalysis, images are derived from dreams, neurological symptoms or jokes through which the unconscious mind is revealed. The psychoanalytic approach uses other methodologies to gain a psychological understanding of the artwork and its impact on the viewer. The iconography is shown using the meaning of clocks in our reality to interpret their meaning in the painting. The biography is displayed because the painting contains elements of Salvador Dali's life. Dalí induced neurological symptoms to create art by undergoing hypnosis to experience hallucinations. The Persistence of Memory was created by Salvador Dalí as a “dream photograph,” in which vivid colors flow elegantly and the finished painting resembles a photograph taken with a camera. “Dalí painted with what he called 'the most imperialistic fury of precision,' but only, he said, 'to systematize the confusion and thus help to completely discredit the world of reality.' I believe that Dali wants to discredit reality to demonstrate his belief in surrealism, which is the union of the conscious (reality) and the unconscious (dreams) to create an absolute or complete (British) reality. In an absolute reality, we understand that clocks represent the story of time, but they also symbolize time that becomes non-existent in Dali's “photography of dreams”. Dali wants to draw the viewer out of what he believes is reality and encourage curiosity. Salvador Dali uses an illusionistic style to deceive our eyes (trompe l'oeil) as he paints a side profile of his own face right in the center of the foreground of the painting. We see eyelashes painted over a closed eye (in a dream), his nose, an unforgettable mustache and his mouth open as if he were snoring. Analysis of the psychological characteristics of Dalì's "The Persistence of Memory" Salvador Dalí, born in Catalonia, Spain (1904), was one of the founders of the surrealist movement. The movement originated in Paris during World War I (early 1920s) and succeeded the Dada movement. Surrealism is a cultural movement in which works of art are composed of elements of surprise, imagination, free expression. The term actual 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 mind can allow the imagination to manifest itself in reality. Surrealist artists went against the norm of traditional art (derived from logic) by drawing on their dreams/fantasies to create art. Salvador Dalí's work, The Persistence of Memory, embodies surrealism because the hard objects of reality have acquired the properties of soft objects, which is physically impossible but possible to imagine or dream. Furthermore, the ant-covered orange pocket watch symbolizes that real physical time is no longer relevant. Furthermore, when asked to explain this painting, Dalí stated that the clock found on the dead tree was inspired in him by the appearance of Camembert cheese melting in the sun. The Persistence of Memory is one of Dalí's most famous and notable works of art and had many supporters. A patron, Edward James, supported Dalí financially for two years, helped Dalí increase his visibility, and purchased.