The Persistence of Memory

So, you think time is a rigid, unyielding construct? Well, Salvador Dalí would like a word, and he’s brought some melted cheese to the conversation. Allegedly inspired by the gooey state of a Camembert on a hot day, the famously drooping watches in this painting thumb their noses at the rigid tick-tock of chronometric time. They suggest that time is, in fact, fluid and subjective, much like in our dreams. The composition is a masterclass in making the bizarre look believable. We're treated to a hyper-realistic rendering of a dreamscape, with the cliffs of Dalí's Catalonian home in the background to keep things just a little bit grounded. In the foreground, a strange, fleshy creature, often interpreted as a distorted self-portrait of the artist, lies sleeping. This mashup of landscape, still life, and self-portrait was a classic Surrealist move. Created in 1931, this painting was a product of its time, steeped in the Freudian psychoanalysis that fascinated the Surrealists. They were all about exploring the subconscious, and this "hand-painted dream photograph" is a prime example of that obsession. Don't miss the ants swarming over the one solid watch; they're a cheerful reminder of decay and death, a recurring party favor in Dalí's work. This artwork can be found at Museum of Modern Art.