The Significance of Persistence of Memory

The persistence of Memory by Dali


Year: 1931
Material: Oil on Canvas
Current Location: Museum of Modern Art, New York City

It is a surreal painting depicting element of surprise and expression of philosophical movement. It depicts a dream state. After entertaining guest, Dali sat at the table looking at the half melted cheese Camembert cheese which gave him the idea of painting melting watches.

It depicts the scene showing pocket watches detached from their chains and melting on rocks and tree branches. The tree branches are dried out, they are not flowering signifying that the area pictured is dry and sandy. There is little bit of sunlight and part of painting is in shadow. The illumination suggests that the painting is depicting scene of late afternoon or dawn. There are small rocks.
The water is stagnant and there is no movement showing that the place is silent and peaceful.

Concept of hard and soft objects is used. Melting watches signify that the time is flowing and it is eternal. The soft watches are like symbols of relativity of space and time. They symbolize the passage of time that we experience while we are dreaming. These watches don’t have any power in the dream world. They are losing their stability by liquefying. The hard rocks signify that they are the reality of life. The ocean shows that the earth is very vast. Orange clock covered with ants depicts the decaying or death. There is a strange human figure in the center.

Signifier: Melting Watches
Signified: It signifies that time is flowing. It can be perceived like it’s a dream wherein we don’t have control over time.

Signifier: Ocean
Signified: It signifies the vastness of earth. 
         
Signifier: Ants and Clock
Signified: It represents the decay of earth or probably our death.



Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

IT resources @ DAIICT

1. Your windows Domain login password, Cyberoam login password & NIS Login password (Fedora  Network Login) are the same. Whenever you will change your password of windows Domain login  then after use your new password on Windows and Cyberoam Login & NIS Login.  Note : To Reset your Password for Domain ID (Cyberoam ID) and webmail ID Contact Helpdesk  personally along with your ID card.  2. Windows login id and password also used for access network resources like share folders,  printers.  3. Webmail id and password is used only for webmail account means mail access.   4. If you forgot your E-campus password Email to sysadmin@daiict.ac.in to reset it.   5. Install printer on your system when you want print follow below steps:   Click on Start --> Select Run and type \\10.100.56.86   Type your user name ( da-iict\Your daiict ID ) & enter your password for the same.   Now doubl...
Read more

I blinked and the day passed ...

Image
Time runs when we want it to stop ... and I somehow feel during the lecture hours time runs backwards ! The clock hands run anticlockwise ! I guess most of the students will agree....  and there are those moments when we want time to stop, when we want the moment to never pass... Today I want you to take a peek into my life's such moments...  That twinkle and affection in dad's eyes when he hugged me .... when I won the Navratri dance competition. He never expected me to handle walking properly so I could understand his emotions on seeing me literally floating in air. I knew how much elated I was when he placed a kiss on my forehead. I felt like on the top of the world, and my papa's princess....  That smile on my face extending for a km ... when My siblings were born. That desperate longing for them had finally come to an end. I was no more the only child of my parents. That rush of  excitement I experienced, I will never forget. Those months of planni...
Read more

The world is what it is

University College in oxford is an old college established for studying theology two centuries before Trinidad was named. It has famous alumni such as, P.B.Shelley, Clement Attlee, Harold Wilson and C.S.Lewis. There was a relief structure of William Jones in the chapel.It was a conservative men’s college with gender segregation The university life was staunchly male except meeting women in lectures or through other activities. The author’s room was on a staircase above the junior common room. Douglas Millin, sergeant major was the head of the university college of oxford. His duty was to monitor the behaviour of students. He combined abrasive manner with devotion to university and used a very rough speech. His job was anything and everything and he felt nobody could replace Naipaul. The dean, Giles Alington took a simpler and gentle role, he was more interested in the academic life than well-being of college. He was known for using double negatives. There were thirty college servant...
Read more