The Persistence of Memory Salvador Dali

Salvador Dali Salvador Dali was a Spanish surrealist painter, born in Catalonia, Spain. His talents include film, sculpture, and photography. His painting skills are mainly attributed to the influence of the Renaissance artists. Surrealism is a style of art developed principally in the 20th century, in which the artist combines images or events in a very strange and dreamlike way.

Characters: White Creature Cross between different animals Tongue, eyelashes, mouth, eyelid, tail Metamorphosis Unidentified

Characters: Ants Eating the orange pocket watch Symbolizing death

Characters: Clocks Melting Away Time is Stopping Doesn’t matter

Character: Egg Symbolizes life Last hope of life

Color: Contrast between creature and shadows

Color: Contrast between creature and shadows Mix between shadows and the dirt and mountains

Color: Contrast between creature and shadows Mix between shadows and the dirt and mountains Sun Setting

Light: Setting sun Night is coming Darkness is taking over but light is fighting back by shining and reflecting of foreground objects. The mirror reflects the light showing how it is restoring good back into the world

Angle: Looking down onto the creature, standing on the beach

Angle: Few details are hidden because of the perspective Clock numbers/hands missing

Angle: Horizontal mirror reflecting back the sunlight to spread around the world Part of it is missing

Proportion: The creature is the most notable figure, but it doesn’t really have a defined shape

Proportion: Mirror Really big symbolizing how much it can reflect the sunlight throughout the world

Proportion: Tree Branch Form of life, but it eventually died, symbolizing corruption by a deteriorating world

Placement: The creature is in the middle because it is the most important part of the painting symbolizing how it is dreaming up this world.

Placement: Tree Branch Placed on top of the table, signifying how it is artificial, corrupted because it is dying

Setting: The period of time can’t be determined. Dream state of mind. Near the beach are some cliffs, which show no form of life.

Setting: The sea is completely still, without any waves, signifying eternity

Setting: The sun is setting, which symbolizes a new beginning, like the clocks

Character: The most notable character is the white creature in the center of the painting that looks deformed with a deformed nose and eye. Its long eyelashes seem insect-like; the tongue oozes from its nose like a fat snail from its shell. The creature is unidentified which is a distinguishable characteristic of a dream and it is also lying on its side with its eyes closed. The melting clocks symbolize how time does not play a role in dreams because of how they are melting and how the ants are eating the orange pocket watch. The egg symbolizes life because it is small and will grow to something bigger. Color: There is a contrast of color between the creature and the background because it is lying in the shadows. There are few light bright colors including the orange pocket watch and the white creature. There is a mix between the dirt and the shadows mixing with the bright mountains. Light: Light Is mainly shined on the background on the cliffs and the water, but is specifically shined on the foreground objects also. Light is shown throughout the painting by the sun, which you cannot see and is reflected by the flat board near the water and the pocket watches. Overall the shadow is cast over the foreground, but the sun overpowers it. Angle: A few details are hidden from the viewer by the angle of facing the painting head-on. First, on the clock hanging over the tree, a few numbers are missing and although a hand is pointing to the six, the viewer can’t tell if it is the short or long hand. Second, a few numbers are hidden from the gold pocket watch and the pocket watch resting over the creature. There is a mirror near the water that is reflecting the sunlight Proportion: The largest object is the creature, the viewer can’t really tell the size of it because it really doesn't have a defined shape. Then the clocks are pretty big and because there are four of them, they really stand out in the image. Placement: The artist purposely put the creature in the middle because it is the most important part of the painting. The dead tree is on top of the table, symbolizing how it is artificial. Setting: The era of history cannot be determined, but the painting takes place in a dream state of mind. It is near the beach with a few cliffs, which shows no form of life. The water is completely still without any waves, symbolizing eternity because the sea cannot control its patterns. The sun is setting symbolizing a new beginning of a cycle, which is represented by the clocks.