The Persistence of Memory by Salvador Dali Essay

The Persistence of Memory by Salvador Dali - Essay Example The clock literally is a very clear illustration of time which tells us of things that we cannot get back anymore or perhaps the notion of fleeting objects and at the same time, the use of a clock metaphorically can be attributed to our memories. As a whole, the artwork tells a story where the fading clock is a strong symbolism for human’s memory which is something that we want to hold on to for as long as we can and yet is able to slip away. This is also the irony that it communicates especially creating the mood through the strong contrast between the light and dark colors. At first glance, you would be able to see the opposing reflection of softness and hardness theory. This is seen through the variety of use of shape and form where the art uses free form or natural shapes to demonstrate the softness of the art that would give you an illusion of softness and rigidity while using a mixture of the three-dimensional shapes and lines such as of the trunk that helped the art achieve the clarity of hardness, achieving the comparison with what stays and what are fleeting. Also, the contrast of dark and light colors here, repeatedly used creates that balance between the irony of our memories fleeting and at the same time the reality that time is something that is supposed to slip away. When it comes to the principles of design, movement is one of the greatly used principle in the artwork by using of the soft elements of the artwork such as the melting clock and letting it fills up negative space which is space around the hard objects and makes it lean towards it, copying the shape of the latter. Indeed, the art leaned on the use of movement to express a fading and melting state of the clock, directing it to the copy the shape or direction of the hard objects.