Moma Ref.: The Artistic Importance

MoMA

REF.: The artistic importance of "The Persistence of Memory"

The aim of this memorandum is to prove to the board the importance of Dali's greatest painting, "The Persistence of Memory," for the artistic development of the 20th century and as a notable work of art in itself. The memorandum will focus on two different levels. The first part of the memorandum will include a descriptive approach to the painting, while the second part will look at the painting from an interpretive perspective, one that will also include some historical and philosophical background to the work of art.

Descriptive

The painting contains several watches and clocks in an apparently desolated landscape. The clocks and watches are melting or rather have a fluid consistency, different than that in reality, which allows the painter to place them in different locations and positions throughout the painting, such as in what appears to be a crutch or a tree in that form. Another of the clocks/watches is slowly crawling off the table in the forefront of the work of art.

There are several other elements that appear to make no sense, although this memorandum will later show in the interpretative part what their meaning actually is. There are several worth mentioning. In the center part of the painting, there is an unidentified creature, painted in an open nuance. At the same time, there are two elements dominating the left part of the painting, other than the watches: a number of ants and the crutch/tree.

There are a couple of other observations that are worth mentioning from a descriptive perspective and which will help the point of this memorandum in explaining to the Board why this is an important and precious work of art. The painting follows an almost geometrical division between the sky, the water and the land. The land occupies approximately two thirds of the painting, while the rest is divided (not equally, but similarly geometrically) between water and air. The entire landscape is extremely interesting because it appears desolated, helping to build on the message that the painters wishes to convey to the rest.

II. Interpretative

First of all, one should note that Dali's work is eloquent for the period in art and literature history referred to as Surrealism. This current is characterized by an inclination towards the use of different symbols, many of them from the dream world, and by an extreme creative liberty that is fully reflected in Dali's painting. Indeed, even the elements that have been previously mentioned in the descriptive part of this memorandum (crutch, ants, watches, the shape in the foreground) are elements that come out of this liberty. Dali simply lets his train of thoughts run freely and, in the process, allows the creation of different expressions full of meaning.

One such expression is the figure that is seen in the central of the painting. Many, including the museum's description of the painting, point out that this is, in fact, "an approximation of Dali's own face in profile" (Museum of Modern Art, 2006). At the same time, on a different level and pushing the analysis further, Nathaniel Harris points out that Dali's figure is also a "a transparent, near-extinct version of the self" (Harris, 2002). One can understand another reason why this painting is a reference painting: Dali's does not pass on his messages in a simple, straightforward way, but rather uses symbols to do so and allows the viewer to use his or her own creativity in order to understand the painting.

This is true for some of the other symbols, such as the ants or the crutch, which generally appear as symbols in many other paintings that Dali has completed as well. These elements reflect best the idea according to which "Dali's work is that it represents a clash of two different sides: real and imagination" (Simply Einstein, 2007). Indeed, these are elements from the real world, but in the work of art, they have been transformed into symbols. The crutch, for example, can represent things (other persons, individuals, activities, objects) that support our struggle in life.