Feldman’s Method of Art Criticism Bryce Stevens Persistence of Memory by Salvador Dalí

Step 1: Description The painting has different clocks drooping over a desk, tree, and blanket on the floor. They are all white with gold lining except for an all-gold stopwatch in the bottom left corner of the desk. There’s a shade looming over everything from an unknown force, and stops around the blue water seen in the background. A group of rocky formations next to the water are only in the top right corner, and a sort of flat plank-like piece, which is the same color as the ocean, sits on the opposite side of the rocks, in the top left corner.

Step 2: Analysis The clocks appear droopy over solid objects, with a texture indicating that they’re made of glass and metal, like a normal clock, but strangely droopy and flimsy hanging over things, except for the stopwatch. The lines are curved and bumpy, with some golden lining. The straight lines complement the strange bubbly nature of the clocks by making them appear solid, but droopy. The contrast of the darkened part of the beach area to the clocks and materials lying about makes them seem fuller, but also more bizarre with the surrounding landscape.

Step 3: Interpretation I see time slipping off of different objects, maybe to symbolize time slipping away. Or the meltiness of it could symbolize how flimsy time can be, or time dissolving itself. The art feels kind of slow and almost relaxing, as if time is moving slower due to the clocks becoming less structured, maybe even easier to manage.

Step 4: Judgement I like most of the clocks material being different, because it gives off a looser and more creative feel, and having them interact with the objects around them to show their different material makes it look more interesting. I think the artist painted the materials the best, as he did a good job of showing the nature of the objects, their shading, and making it look like a picture of another world. The beach setting makes it a little odd especially with the materials around it, but the shade blocks the brightness of the sand so it isn’t too distracting. The one thing I would change is the background scene.