Salvador Dali. "The Persistence of Memory"

To the 105th anniversary of the birth

The beginning of the 20th century is a time of searching for new ideas. People wanted something different. In literature, experiments with the word begin, in painting - with the image. Symbolists, Fauvists, Futurists, Cubists, Surrealists appear.

Surrealism (from the French surrealisme - super-realism) is a trend in art, philosophy and culture that was formed in the 1920s in France. The main concept of surrealism - surreality - the combination of dream and reality. Surrealism - the rules of inconsistencies, the connection of the incompatible, that is, the convergence of images that are completely alien to each other, in a situation completely alien to them. The founder and ideologist of surrealism is considered French writer.

The Greatest Representative surrealism in fine arts spanish artist Salvador Dali (1904-1979). From childhood he was fond of drawing. Exploring creativity contemporary artists, acquaintance with the writings of the Austrian psychiatrist Sigmund Freud (1856-1939) had a decisive influence on the formation of the pictorial method and aesthetic views future master. "Surrealism is me!" - said Salvador Dali. He treated his own paintings as hand-made photographs of his dreams. And they really represent stunning combinations of the unreality of a dream and a photographic image. In addition to painting, Dali was engaged in theater, literature, art theory, ballet and cinema.

An important role in the life of the surrealist was played by his acquaintance in 1929 with (nee Russian Elena Deluvina-Dyakonova). This unusual woman became a muse and dramatically changed the life of the artist. became a legendary couple, like Dante and Beatrice.

The works of Salvador Dali are distinguished by exceptional expressive power and are known throughout the world. He painted about two thousand paintings that never cease to amaze: a different reality, unusual images. One of famous works painter The Persistence of Memory, which is also called Melted clock, in relation to the subject of the image.

The history of the creation of this composition is interesting. Once, while waiting for Gala to return home, Dali painted a picture with a deserted beach and rocks, without any thematic focus. According to the artist himself, the image of softening time was born in him at the sight of a piece of Camembert cheese, which became soft from the heat and began to melt on a plate. The natural order of things began to collapse and the image of a spreading watch appeared. Grabbing a brush, Salvador Dali began to fill the desert landscape with melting hours. Two hours later the canvas was finished. The author named his work The Persistence of Memory.

The Persistence of Memory. 1931.
Canvas, oil. 24x33.
Museum contemporary art, New York.

The work was created at the moment of insight, when the surrealist felt that painting can prove that everything in the universe is connected and imbued with a single spiritual principle. So, under the brush of Dali, stopping time was born. Next to the soft melting clock, the author depicted a hard pocket watch covered with ants, as a sign that time can move in different ways, either flow smoothly or be corroded by corruption, which, according to Dali, meant decay, symbolized here by the bustle of insatiable ants. The sleeping head is a portrait of the artist himself.

The picture gives the viewer a variety of associations, sensations, which, at times, are difficult to express in words. Someone finds here images of conscious and unconscious memory, someone finds “fluctuations between ups and downs in the state of wakefulness and sleep.” Be that as it may, the author of the composition achieved the main thing - he managed to create an unforgettable work that has become a classic of surrealism. Gala, returning home, quite correctly predicted that, having seen once, no one will forget The Persistence of Memory. The canvas has become a symbol of the modern concept of the relativity of time.

After the exhibition of the painting in the Parisian salon of Pierre Colet, it was acquired by the New York Museum. In 1932, from January 9 to 29, she was presented at the Julien Levy Gallery in New York "Surrealist Painting, Drawing and Photography". Paintings and drawings by Salvador Dali, marked by unbridled imagination and virtuoso technique, are very popular all over the world.

Inspired by Einstein's theory of relativity, Salvador Dali depicted this world-famous melting clock. They remind us of the transience of our existence and sometimes give rise to deep reflection. No wonder the painting "The Persistence of Memory" is actively discussed in creative circles to this day.

Modern designers have brought this idea to life and we are pleased to present you an original element for the interior - melting Salvador Dali. Based on this idea, a melting bottle in the shape of a watch was also created. Here you can choose any model (selection option is available in the field above the price).

The clock of Salvador Dali is made in an unusual form. It seems that they spread over the surface. In addition, the shape of the watch allows you to place it in the most unexpected place - on the edge of the surface. This makes them even more realistic.

Such a solution for decor is a must for all art lovers and connoisseurs of Dali's works. Also the melting clock will become great gift for a birthday or other memorable event.

The original design goes well with modern technologies. The quartz movement of watches is the key to their longevity. With this watch you will never be late for an important meeting.

A melting clock can become an addition to your bedroom or take pride of place in the office. Wherever you place them, they will certainly attract attention and delight others.

Peculiarities

• Perfectly balanced and held on the corner of any piece of furniture;
• Quartz movement;
• Created based on the work of Salvador Dali.

Characteristics

• Power supply: 1 AAA battery (not included);
• Watch dimensions: 18 x 13 cm;
• Material: PVC.

Surrealist painter, Spaniard Salvador Dali became one of the most enigmatic painters of the twentieth century. Known for its outlandish and controversial subject matter, his painting "The Persistence of Memory" (1931), is recognized as the greatest masterpiece of surrealism. But what essence did the genius veil on this canvas? There are many interpretations of the picture and they are completely different.

The meaning behind the brush strokes is not easy to grasp. The painting shows four clocks and a desert landscape in the background. Keepers of the Time, against all odds, emerge from their familiar form, which looks a bit ominous. And, apparently, they intend to melt "until the end." "Cute" story makes you think. Why is the clock spreading? Why are they in the desert and where are people lost? The meaning of this picture seems inadequate and illogical, but the almost photographic execution hints at the opposite.

Perhaps Dali depicted the state of sleep so often discussed by the surrealists. After all, only in a dream, unrelated people, places and objects are able to come together into a single whole, because only in a dream, seconds with minutes depreciate. If so, then the deformed clock symbolizes the uncertainty of the passage of time at night. During the day, we are able to track and control time, but when we sleep, it plays by different rules. If you look at it from that angle, it looks plausible. In a dream, the clock is powerless, we do not feel time, which means that the clock can only melt from its own uselessness.

Some art historians believe that the deformed clock may symbolize Einstein's theory of relativity, which was new and revolutionary in the 1930s. With her help, Einstein proposed new idea about time as a more complex category, not subject to calculus on the dial. Through such a prism, it begins to seem that the distorted clock symbolizes the incompetence of its pocket and wall counterparts in the post-Einstein world.

Jokes, humor, sarcasm and word play were an integral part of the work of the surrealists. It is possible that this same sarcasm touched the Persistence of Memory as well. After all, a spreading watch can mean anything, but not constancy. The ants eating the dial of a red clock may represent the human habit of wasting time thoughtlessly and haphazardly.

A devastated, barren landscape ... Many art connoisseurs believe that Dali depicted coastline beach in your hometown. The supposed, autobiographical meaning, refers us to memories from the childhood memory of El Salvador. An uninhabited, abandoned coast, dead since Dali left it. With a distorted clock, Dali probably hinted that his childhood was a thing of bygone days.

"The Persistence of Memory"- a real icon of surrealism of the twentieth century. Its true meaning remains a mystery to us to this day, and this is unlikely to change. It is believed that here Dali collected a whole amalgam of ideas and shades of a historical, autobiographical, artistic and political nature.

Salvador Dali - Persistence of memory (Spanish: La persistencia de la memoria).

Year of establishment: 1931

Canvas, handmade tapestry.

Original size: 24×33cm

Museum of Modern Art, New York

« The Persistence of Memory"(Spanish: La persistencia de la memoria, 1931) - one of the most famous paintings artist Salvador Dali. It has been in the Museum of Modern Art in New York since 1934.

Also known as " soft watch», « Hardness of memory" or " Memory Persistence».

This small painting (24×33 cm) is probably the most notable work Dali. The softness of the hanging and flowing clock is an image that could be described as "it spreads into the realm of the unconscious, enlivening the universal human experience of time and memory." Dali himself is present here in the form of a sleeping head, which has already appeared in The Funeral Game and other paintings. In accordance with his method, the artist explained the origin of the plot by thinking about the nature of Camembert cheese; the landscape with Port Ligat was already ready, so it was a matter of two hours to paint the picture. Returning from the cinema, where she went that evening, Gala quite correctly predicted that no one, having seen The Persistence of Memory once, would forget it. The picture was painted as a result of the associations that arose in Dali at the sight of processed cheese, as evidenced by his own quote.

Description of the painting by Salvador Dali “The Persistence of Memory”

The greatest representative of surrealism in painting, Salvador Dali, truly skillfully combined mystery and evidence. This amazing Spanish artist executed his paintings in a manner inherent only to him, sharpening life's questions with the help of an original and opposite combination of real and fantastic.

One of famous paintings, known by several names, the most common being "Memory Persistence", but also known as "Soft Watch", "Memory Hardness" or "Memory Persistence".

This is a very small picture of time arbitrarily flowing and unevenly filling space. The artist himself explained that the emergence of this plot is associated with associations when thinking about the nature of processed cheese.

It all starts with a landscape, it takes up little space on the canvas. In the distance one can see the desert and the sea coast, perhaps this is a reflection of the inner emptiness of the artist. There are still three clocks in the picture, but they are flowing. This is a temporary space through which the flow of life flows, but it can change.

Most of the artist's paintings, their ideas, content, subtext, became known from the notes in the diaries of Salvador Dali. But what is the opinion of the artist himself about this picture is not found, not a single line. There are many opinions about what the artist wanted to convey to us. There are some so contradictory that this saggy watch speaks of Dali's fears, perhaps in front of any male problems. But, despite all these assumptions, the picture is very popular, thanks to the originality of the surrealist direction.

Most often, the word surrealism refers to Dali, and his painting “The Persistence of Memory” comes to mind. Now this work is in New York, you can see it at the Museum of Modern Art.

The idea for the work came to Dali on a hot summer day. He lay at home with a headache, and Gala went shopping. After eating, Dali noticed that the cheese melted from the heat, became fluid. It somehow coincided with what Dali had in his soul. The artist had a desire to paint a landscape with a melting clock. He returned to the unfinished painting he was working on at the time, which showed a tree on a platform with mountains in the background. Within two or three hours Salvador Dali hung a melted pocket watch on the painting, which made the painting what it is today.

Salvador Dali
The Persistence of Memory 1931

History of creation

It was the summer of 1931 in Paris, when Dali was preparing for personal exhibition. After seeing Gala with friends at the cinema, “I,” writes Dali in his memoirs, “returned to the table (we finished dinner with an excellent Camembert) and plunged into thoughts about the spreading pulp. Cheese popped into my mind's eye. I got up and, as usual, went to the studio to look at the picture I was painting before going to bed. It was the landscape of Port Lligat in the transparent, sad sunset light. In the foreground is the bare skeleton of an olive tree with a broken branch.

I felt that in this picture I managed to create an atmosphere consonant with some important image - but what? I have not the foggiest idea. I needed a marvelous image, but I did not find it. I went to turn off the light, and when I got out, I literally saw the solution: two pairs of soft clocks, they hang plaintively from an olive branch. Despite the migraine, I prepared my palette and set to work. Two hours later, by the time Gala returned, the most famous of my paintings was finished.

Plot

Dali, like a real surrealist, immerses us in the world of dreams with his painting. Fussy, chaotic, mystical and at the same time seeming understandable and real.

On the one hand, the familiar clock, the sea, the rocky landscape, the withered tree. On the other hand, their appearance and proximity to other, poorly identifiable objects leaves one perplexed.

There are three clocks in the picture: past, present and future. The artist followed the ideas of Heraclitus, who believed that time is measured by the flow of thought. A soft clock is a symbol of non-linear, subjective time, arbitrarily flowing and unevenly filling space.

Dali's molten watch came up while thinking about Camembert

A hard clock infested with ants is linear time that devours itself. The image of insects as a symbol of decay and decay haunted Dali since childhood, when he saw how insects swarm on the carcass of a bat.

But Dali called the flies the fairies of the Mediterranean: "They carried inspiration to the Greek philosophers who spent their lives under the sun, covered in flies."

The artist depicted himself sleeping in the form of a blurry object with eyelashes. “Sleep is death, or at least it is an exclusion from reality, or, even better, it is the death of reality itself, which dies in the same way during the act of love.”

Salvador Dali

The tree is depicted dry, because, as Dali believed, ancient wisdom (of which this tree is a symbol) has sunk into oblivion.

The deserted shore is the cry of the soul of the artist, who through this image speaks of his emptiness, loneliness and longing. “Here (on Cape Creus in Catalonia - ed.), - he wrote, - the most important principle of my theory of paranoid metamorphoses is embodied in rocky granite ... These are frozen clouds reared by an explosion in all their countless incarnations, more and more - there is only slightly change the angle of view.

At the same time, the sea is a symbol of immortality and eternity. According to Dali, the sea is ideal for traveling, where time flows in accordance with the internal rhythms of consciousness.

Dali took the image of an egg as a symbol of life from the ancient mystics. The latter believed that the first bisexual deity Phanes was born from the World Egg, which created people, and heaven and earth were formed from the two halves of its shell.

A mirror lies horizontally on the left. It reflects everything you want: both the real world and dreams. For Dali, the mirror is a symbol of impermanence.

Context

According to a legend invented by Dali himself, he created the image of a flowing watch in just two hours: “We were supposed to go to the cinema with friends, but in last moment I decided to stay at home. Gala will go with them, and I will go to bed early. We ate very tasty cheese, then I was left alone, sitting leaning on the table and thinking about how “super soft” processed cheese. I got up and went to the studio to take a look at my work as usual. The picture I was going to paint was a landscape of the outskirts of Port Lligat, rocks, as if illuminated by a dim evening light. In the foreground, I sketched the chopped off trunk of a leafless olive tree. This landscape is the basis for a canvas with some idea, but what? I needed a marvelous image, but I did not find it. I went to turn off the light, and when I went out, I literally “saw” the solution: two pairs of soft clocks, one hanging plaintively from an olive branch. Despite the migraine, I prepared my palette and set to work. Two hours later, when Gala returned from the cinema, the picture, which was to become one of the most famous, was completed.

Gala: no one can forget these soft watch seeing them at least once

After 20 years, the picture was built into a new concept - "Disintegration of Memory Persistence". The iconic image is surrounded by nuclear mysticism. Soft dials quietly disintegrate, the world is divided into clear blocks, the space is under water. The 1950s, with post-war reflection and technical progress, obviously plowed Dali.

"The Disintegration of Memory Persistence"

Dali is buried in such a way that anyone can walk on his grave

Creating all this diversity, Dali also invented himself - from mustaches to hysterical behavior. He saw how many talented people who were not noticed. Therefore, the artist regularly reminded himself of himself in the most eccentric possible manner.

Dali on the roof of his house in Spain

Even Dali's death was turned into a performance: according to his will, he was to be buried so that people could walk on the grave. Which was done after his death in 1989. Today, Dali's body is buried in the floor in one of the rooms of his house in Figueres.