The Persistence of Memory
The
Persistence of Memory is oil on canvas painting that
was painted in 1931
- It is Dali’s most recognizable works
- Since 1934, it has been in the collection of the Museum of Modern Art in New York City. It was received from an anonymous donor.
- The Persistence of Memory introduced the image of the soft melting pocket watch which exemplifies Dali’s theory of “softness” and “hardness”. In Dali’s time, his theory was central to his thinking. In his painting, ”the soft watches are an unconscious symbol of the relativity of time and space, a Surrealist meditation on the collapse of our notions of a fixed cosmic order" (Ades, Dawn. Dalí. Thames and Hudson, 1982).
- There is a human figure I the middle of the composition which is a strange monster. This “monster” was used in several of Dali’s contemporary pieces to represent him – the abstract form of becoming something of a self-portrait, appearing frequently in his work.
Swans Reflecting
Elephants
Swans Reflecting Elephants is oil on
canvas and was painted in 1937
- The double images used in this painting were a major part of Dalí's "paranoia-critical method"
- Dalí used this "paranoia-critical method” to bring forth the hallucinatory forms, double images and visual illusions that filled his paintings during the Thirties
- The three swans in front of leafless trees are reflected in the lake so that the swans' necks become the elephants' trunks and the trees become the legs of the elephants. In the background of the painting is a Catalonian landscape portrayed in fiery autumn colours. In contrast to the stillness of the water, the brushwork creates swirls in the cliffs that surround the lake.
No comments:
Post a Comment