In class this week, we will discuss how to use small but significant clues to sneak your way into a painting. Please peruse the painting below and respond to the questions that follow it.
Important notes:
- Please do NOT Google this painting or use any other outside help; I only want to know what this class makes of the painting.
- Also, be sure to read others' responses before you post your own and include whether you agree or disagree with some of their interpretations.
A FEW TIPS: Please read this painting by gathering as many "clues," or specific details as you can; try to find something that no one else in the class sees. Then, try to piece them together to tell a larger story. Make the story as complete as possible.
YOUR TASK: In your blog, please describe which THREE clues, or details, were the most significant to this painting and why. Then, tell us what you see as the larger picture. Please remember to read others' posts before you create your own, and try to reference someone else's interpretation.
Please remember to proofread your answers carefully before posting. Your response should reflect your professionalism.
DUE: WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 19TH AT 9:00 A.M.
Three details that are most significant to this painting were the surrealism of the content, the images of the clocks, and the monster like figure in the middle. I feel that the surrealism of this painting was important because it appears to be the overall theme. The painter seems to be attempting to communicate a concept that is difficult to put in concrete terms, so they paint in a more abstract and admittedly strange way. My impression that the clocks were significant to the interpretation of the painting is due to that there are several of them in the piece. Obviously, effort was put into repeating those figures, so the artist must have decided that clocks were an essential part of what he was trying to express. Finally, the monster like figure is a central detail because it compliments the surrealism of the painting. The scene depicted is not like anything seen in reality, and neither is the figure that is almost literally at the center of the painting. Painting a figure that doesn't look real in a landscape that looks like a dream seems like a good way to emphasis the overall unrealistic content of the painting.
ReplyDeleteAs a larger picture, I think that this painting is a representation of a dream, possible having to do with the death. The overall repeated figures of the bent clocks, along with a grey figure that resembles a horse, seems to imply a fear of death. The bizarre painting and its content conveys a dreamlike state, and I think the monster represents the pale horse that often symbolizes death. Death comes with the passage of time, hence the repeated use of clocks.
This painting presents several details for analysis, though the three that were most prominent to me were the beach-like background, the three clocks that appear to be melting, and the stopwatch-like object on the platform on the left side of the painting. When I first look at the painting, I am immediately intrigued by the setting. There appears to be a body of water, a cliff or cove, and sand. Based on these details, I can infer a beach setting. I personally associate beaches with relaxation or vacation. Given the surreal style of the painting and this association, I wonder if the artist is trying to imply a situation in which one feels outside of reality. This idea is further backed by the three clocks in the picture, which appear to be melting. Perhaps the nature in which the clocks are painted is meant to express time passing in such a way that one loses track of time, or a situation in which time does not seem to exist. Finally, I noted the stopwatch that appears to be sitting on a table to the left of the painting. It appears to have ants or other insects instead of the ordinary hands and markings on a clock. The ants appear to be crawling in several different directions, which may also represent time crawling away or seeming to "disappear". Generally, I believe the painting is meant to represent a situation in which time has no importance. This may be a state of mind or a philosophical representation of an ultimate meaninglessness of time. Or, as Hannah explained, it may signify a fear of death. However, while Hannah viewed the figure in the center as a pale horse, I saw a sheet hiding something. This could still symbolize death, but in a different way; perhaps instead of a pale horse as an omen of death, it could represent the uncertainty of death, since what is under the sheet cannot be seen. Overall, I saw a surreal scene in which time does not matter. This may be a philosophical comment on the part of the artist, meant to explain an opinion that time has no value reason for existing. However, I also support Hannah's explanation of a symbol of death, which is backed up by several pieces of the painting.
ReplyDeleteThree different details in this painting that stood out the most to me are the light and the darkness, the white sheet with eyes, and the clocks that have all stopped in the same place. Light and darkness has always been more of a comparison between good and evil. When I think of the light in this painting I think of the goodness that is on the other side of the boundary between the light and the darkness. In the darkness of the painting it seems to have a tone of depression and sadness. Everything on the darker side of the painting seems to be in the omen of death; as Bella and Hannah explained in the previous posts. The second item that stood out to me was the white sheet in the middle of the painting. When I look at the painting there seems to be eyes looking through the white sheet. Most of the time when a person dies, their eyes are open and someone has to close them before people view the body. In this image the eyes staying open bring the symbol of death while waiting for new life. When a person's eyes are closed, that means that they are dead and are moving on from life, the eyes being open show that whatever is underneath the sheet could still be searching for life. I do agree with Bella that the item underneath the sheet could be more of a symbol of the uncertainty of death, but it could also be seen as the image of death since the white sheet could symbolize the loss of blood and the eyes open could be the longing for life. The final detail that stood out to me in this painting is how all of the clocks have stopped in the same place, but the one stopwatch is closed. All of the clocks stopping at the same point in time symbolizes the end of time. Yet the stopwatch that is on the table next to the melting clocks has not been opened which means that maybe the end of time is really just the beginning and opening of a new time.
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ReplyDeleteFrom previous knowledge, I know this piece of art as "The Persistence of Memory" by Salvador Dali. In HannahL2018's response to this artwork, she mentions a "monster like figure in the middle". I find her analysis of this figure to be incorrect. Instead of a "monster like figure" it is a woman's face.Look hard enough at the picture and one will notice eyelashes, eyebrows, a nose, and eyes. I also know Salvador Dali frequently featured his wife, Gala Dali, in his paintings, so I will infer that the face in this painting is Gala's face. In BellaS2018's response, she wrote, " I wonder if the artist is trying to imply a situation in which one feels outside of reality. This idea is further backed by the three clocks in the picture, which appear to be melting." I agree with BellaS2018 in the thought that the clocks are used to reinforce the setting to be a surreal situation. The melting clocks symbolize the stopping of time, and a limbo-like location. In my studies of Salvador Dali last year, I learned that Dali was born in Figueres, Spain. With the knowledge of Dali's time in Figueres, I infer that the background of this piece of art is Figureres, Spain. Three major clues to pick up on in this artwork are the melting clocks, as they symbolize a surreal state, the woman's face, as they show Dali's love for his wife, and the mountain range in the background, as they may give background on the artist.
ReplyDeleteI to have seen the original version of "The Persistence of Memory" by Salvador Dali. The face in the middl of the painting is of Dali's wife who was featured a lot in his works. In ChauntelM825's response she says "the clocks that have all stopped in the same place." This is to represent time stopping and being in a surreal state, which is where I agree with ConradM18. The darkness that is cast over the clocks and face seems to represent death in some way or another. The three biggest clues to find the deeper meaning of the painting are the melting clocks, the fact that the clocks are all stopped at the same spot, and the darkness because it represents death. As a whole I see the picture as one of Dali's dreams. That could represent the surreal state that everyone has mentioned and also show why time has stopped. The human brain is an odd thing and could come up with many different scenarios, especially for a creative man like Dali.
ReplyDeleteThis painting caught my eye the second I looked at it, especially with the three "melting" clocks, the strange creature in the center of the painting, and the overall setting of the painting. The clocks in the painting make me think of how time is melting away and soon everything will be gone. The stopwatch in the bottom left corner of the painting also alludes to time running out. It's hard to make out the creature in the middle of the picture. I'm not sure what it is, what it stands for, or why it's there. It could be there to show that there isn't anything left and everything has died off. Finally, the setting of the painting seems strange. As Bella stated, it looks beach-like. However there's a cliff in the background what lead to what looks like water. There are also two random platforms, one that looks like it leads to the water and one that looks like it has a tree growing out of it, along with a clock and a stopwatch on top of it. Overall, I second Hannah's idea of the symbolism of death throughout the painting.
ReplyDeleteJudging from the mention of the title in other responses, I believe this piece of artwork has to do with the qualities of one's mind. Certain memories do not fade easily. As Conrad mentioned, the background of the painting appears to be Dali's hometown in Spain. The body of water off of the cliffs is very visible but yet has qualities that are not commonly associated with a turbulent sea, which is where the setting appears to be. The water is still, not moving, extremely uncharacteristic of this particular liquid, and oddly reflective. Yes, you are able to see a reflection by looking in a lake or something of the sort, but never a perfect one, It is always distorted. This perfect stillness and perfect reflection of the cliffs above lead me to conclude this is referencing the lasting and reminiscent qualities of one's memory, and the first important detail in this work. Next, I too noticed the stopped clocks, like in many previous comments. I agree with the authors, that they are a symbol or signify the stoppage of time but I think it serves a different purpose. In memory, time becomes irrelevant. 12 o'clock noon is no longer a driving factor in that realm. As said before, these do show the passage into the surreal world, but my interpretation is that it is one's memory. Lastly, I cite the pocket watch covered in ants as my final example. Over time, certain memories are eaten away and become less and less vivid. Ants are known for devouring something into nonexistence. Despite the attempts to close the pocket watch and to protect that memory, the ants will eventually take it for their own. It is unavoidable, and deals with the inevitable loss of parts of the mind. This piece shows Dali's memory. With the inclusion of his wife as a surreal figure in the middle, melting and broken clocks, and a shore of his birthplace, and a perfect reflection in the sea, this shows how some things withstand time in the mind while others rot away into nothingness. "The Persistence of Memory" is a very good interpretation of the inner workings of the mind, into something understandable.
ReplyDeleteI am one of many people in this class that know that this piece of artwork is "The Persistence of Memory" by Salvador Dali. I learned about Salvador Dali in my Spanish class last year, and so I know that, for the first important detail, the figure in the painting is indeed a monster, like Hannah had suggested and Conrad had argued was a woman. Dali was known to include this monster into many of his works, and that it was supposed to represent himself in a surreal and abstract way. This is significant as it show that Dali wished to insert himself into the surreal nature of the story. The second important detail is the melting of the clocks spread throughout the painting. These clocks are different shapes, sizes, and at different stages of melting. This is symbolic of how as time goes on, everyone's memory fades, regardless of who they are. Some clocks are spread out on the ground, while one is hanging on the branch of a tree, possibly showing the way that people can through away the memories they no longer desire to have. The other significant detail I noticed, like Chauntel was that at the top of the painting, towards the beach scene, the picture is lighter, while towards the bottom of the painting, the colors get darker. This is symbolic of how life at first is beautiful and light, but as one grows older, one's memory fails, and the world can become a darker place. As a whole, I see this painting as a mournful testament that time is constantly marching forward, leaving victims in it's wake. Memories fade without any permission from their owner, and soon their perception of the world starts to darken. Even the artist himself, Salvador Dali, couldn't deny that he himself was a victim of time, and that soon enough, his memories would leave him too, and that one day death would eventually claim him.
ReplyDeleteWhen first looking at the painting, aspects of it become very obvious at first, the seemingly melted clocks, the distorted figure-like head in the middle, the mountains in the background, etc. etc. But one the three most significant features that stood out to me was the closed gadget in the bottom left hand corner, that I can only assume is a stopwatch, which seems very odd, because out of the 3 three other clocks in the painting, that is the only one that is not in a "melted-like" state. Why would that be? Maybe because it is the only one that is unable to be read, the front of it is covered, giving it a protection of sorts. Or maybe its because that specific time piece is very significance to the painter, Salvador Dali, since there is a very detailed pattern in it, or maybe both. The next important detail I found from the painting, was seemingly unimportant and hard to catch. At the base of the mountains, near the water there is a long rectangular object with a white speck in the end. It looks like the figure of a boat. Again I can not confirm whether it is or not, but how I would interpret this object, would be a boat. This could actually be how the grotesque figure seen in the middle got to this place. There are mountains to one side, and a body of water seen in the other, that would be the only way that creature could to this destination. Lastly, the the final and most meaningful part of the painting I saw was that figure I had mentioned. It is the only thing with even a trace of life in the figure. What it could be, I don't know, it lives in a place without time that has only one entrance. In Greek Mythology there was a story of a person of sorts that was literally the gatekeeper of hell, he guarded the river Styx and kept people from getting out, and lead others in once they died. This creature seen in Dali's painting could be a Cerberus-like figure. Leading people into a barren world without any perception of time. As for the closed watch, well it might be Cerberus's, to know when to let people in. I agree with Hannah how this painting seems to overall reflect on death, but unlike Hannah I don't think that the clocks represent how in time we will die, I believe it represents that death is in a state without time, the idea is irrelevant, and in turn does not to be used as expressed by Dali.
ReplyDeleteThe three details that I recognize in this painting are the melting clocks, the use of light and dark colors and the monster-like object in the middle of the piece. Everything in this painting is very vague and the artist seems lost. Addressing the melting clocks, they seem to represent time becoming non-existent or irrelevant in that setting. I agree with Bella S when she infers that the clocks melting could mean that time passes without one knowing it is. Another feature that stood out to me was the colors used. I do not see a very detailed painting, but instead a painting up for interpretation. As I was reading through the comments, I saw Haley L's knowledge of this work and wanted to include that the colors used in this painting, especially the use of light at the top and dark at the bottom can symbolize the beginning and end of life. The last detail I noticed in this painting was the monster-like figure in the middle. Contrary to the other comments I reviewed, I first saw a dolphin. However I examined it closer and saw the unfamiliarity of it and discarded that idea. The thing in the middle is another reason for me to think this painting is about a depressing idea or memory, not something to inspire. If I could illustrate a larger picture, I would describe someone who has given up hope and fallen into a mental state of disbelief and loss.
ReplyDeleteI've seen this painting numerous times (I think most people have), but I had no idea that it was by Salvador Dali. Furthermore, I had no idea who Salvador Dali was/is before my classmates informed me of his existence. However in my limited art knowledge I do know that many artists use lighter colors to bring attention to the most important figure in the painting. This is my first point, there is a white light over the ocean that brings your attention to the clock hanging on the tree. I think this is the most important object in the painting, why so is up for interpretation. My second point is the mystery object in the center of the painting. While Conrad notes it may be a girl, and Haley defends that it is a monster, I don't think what it is matters. I think the mystery is what makes it important. Lastly, returning to the clock (and the others for that matter), the way they seem thrown around randomly and their "melting" shape, make me believe that they are warped and goofy to show inconsistency in life. I think the lager picture depicts something who's purpose is meant to be debated. It is almost as though this painting was created for these kind of discussions. Nobody (that I read) posted the exact same thoughts, and I think that is the point of this piece, to show how abstract thought is and what one person sees to be a sign of death (Braxton), another thinks it is a depiction of thought itself (myself).
ReplyDeleteThe three most prominent things to me were the barren landscape, the melting clocks, and the fact that the painting seems to be like something of a mirage. The landscape struck me at first because the items and the landscape do not go together. One would not expect to find clocks on trees and what looks like a cloth in the middle of the desert. Also the fact that the landscape seems to contradict itself, meaning the desert like atmosphere of the landscape is contradicted by the fact that there is a large body of water too. I agree with Bella when she says that the landscape might be a beach, however it would have to be a truly special beach to have all those unusual objects just lying around. The clocks struck me as unusual because there are multiple kinds of clocks scattered throughout the painting and yet they all seem to be in the same state of decay. The clocks simply bring the word "barren" to my mind whenever I see them. As for the mirage like quality of the painting, the main visual that came to my mind was whenever there's a main character stranded in a desert, he sees an oasis and tries to go swim in the water and drink it but just ingests a lot of sand. I feel like we could be seeing someone who is hallucinating or has gone insane in the desert and he just sees a bunch of random, seemingly nonsensical items. The overall message I got from the painting was one akin to Haley's. I feel like the painting is describing someone who is realizing that time is slowly melting away and soon he will have none left. That he will one day no longer have time to do anything he wanted. It leaves a great sense of sadness and hopelessness.
ReplyDeleteThree main parts of this painting are obviously the clocks, setting, and the surrealist figures that many of the objects obtain. To me the clocks represent time and that as humans our greatest enemy is time. As time "melts" away, so do the days we have on earth to make our lives count. The setting also presents itself as somewhat barren, in which the concept of time and the setting present vastness as a theme. As I have read the input from others, the color gradient starting at the top with light colors and ending with dark colors ties into these themes as well. Life starting out being bright, and ending with the countdown of time and ultimately ending with darkness. The third object that is most noticeable in the painting is the abstract object in the center. The artist chose to put the object in the center to draw the eye to it easiest. This object, along with all the other objects that give it purpose, to me represent death and that once again, time is humanities greatest enemy.
ReplyDeleteThe seemingly melting clocks portray time as an illusory device, driven only by our perception of it. The existence of three clocks shown remind us that as we try to make sense of the ambiguous world around us, our own clocks are ticking away. The background serves a reminder that if we don't stop and recognize what's left of the beauty of the world, time might just slip away. Cumulatively, they represent the fear of death, as Hannah and others noted. I don't mean for this interpretation to say "Stop and smell the roses because you're going to die." Rather than a nihilistic view of the world, I rather assume that of a realist, recognizing the function of time and fear in our experience of life. I don't believe that this serves any pessimistic function, but rather one of faceless opportunity. The painting is both a gift and a reminder. It bears the gift of time for us to do with as we please. It carries the reminder of death, not to scare us, but rather to inspire us to reflect and see the world around us for what it really is.
ReplyDeleteTo me three of the most important details in this painting to me are the of the clocks, the artist's use of light and dark colors, and the fairly bare background. I think that all of the clocks could represent different times in peoples lives and the idea that time is fluid. The clock on the tree makes me think of waiting and hanging around. That's how a lot of people spend their lives and it seems like the artist might be making a point about sooner or later you're going to have to fall down and put the time you have into action. The clock on the ground and the pocket watch on the ledge make me think of people stuck in either high or low points in their lives. When people are either doing really well or really bad they tend to stay there for periods of time before they are able to move on to the next chapter in their lives. The last clock that is sliding off the edge seems to me like someone fighting to keep time on their side and trying to stay in a chapter of their life where things keep working out for them. Time is fluid and always changing. Your life is never the same from one minute to the next and the fluidity of the clocks can represent this as well. Elements such as light and dark colors along with the simple background draws your attention to certain places within the painting. Most obviously the clocks.
ReplyDeleteOne detail that I find to be significant is the rocks underneath the white figure that is laying on the ground. They are the only bumpy surface on the ground of the painting besides the rocks in the background, and they also seem to be almost pulling the white figure out of the ground, or maybe uprooting it. Another detail I find significant is the sun that is rising or setting in the background. It has lit up the background of the painting, but not yet the foreground where most of the objects are. As Chauntel, Braxten, Haley, and Mackenzie explained, darkness can be used to show death or age, and the light youthfulness. While I can see where they are coming from, I would like to take a different perspective. I think that the light represents reality, which the subject views from a distance, almost as if it were a dream, because they are more caught up in the darkness, which is the painter's subconcious and unconcious. This, for the time being, is the subject's reality, even though it is really more of a twisted dream. Here, time is warped and the subject's conciousness, perhaps the white figure, remains asleep, almost as if washed up onto a distant, unknown and perhaps unpleasant shore. The fact that the clocks appear to be moving towards either the ground or the sun in the background is also interesting. Maybe this indicates the subject's desire to return to reality.
ReplyDeleteOverall, I see the painting as an image depicting the sleep-wake continuum. The white figure represents the conciousness of the subject, and the rocks are slowly uprooting it, or waking the subject. The sun will either set, leaving the subject forever asleep (or at least until it rises again) in the warped world of it's imagination, or it will rise and wake the subject, bringing them back to a somewhat bright (or maybe harsh) reality that is still preferable to the dark.
In this painting, I notice that there are three stopwatches in almost the center of the picture which all seem to be stopped at the same time. The figure in the center also seems to be of importance but the back of it looks to be cloth covering some rocks and the front seems to have whiskers or hair and a set of eyes. The third thing I find interesting is the dead tree growing out of the platform. When I first analyzed this painting, it seemed to me that time itself was sleeping. Rather than melting, the clocks seem to be drooping over what they lay on and stopped at the same time. And when one is sleeping, time does not move or matter. Yet noticing the figure in the middle, its eyes seem to be open which is not a sign of sleep so then I have to assume, with many other classmates, that it is dead. Everything seems to have stopped because of the death of the figure in the middle. The tree has stopped growing, the waves have stopped moving, and time itself has ceased. I agree with Mackenzie in that everything seems to be depressed by the death of the “monster”, as many have identified it to be, that they all just stopped what they were doing to remember and grieve the figure. I think the painting shows that life is important and should be rightfully acknowledged even if it means stopping everything to commemorate it.
ReplyDeleteRyan makes an excellent point on the melting clocks being a nod to the fact that time is a construct of only our own perception. However, in my eyes the clocks are not the most important detail of this painting. I feel that the background and the substance around which time manifests itself in this work are more significant. The very first thing I noticed were the rudimentary blocks that some clocks are resting and molding around; I think this suggests how simply we think of time, how we allow its existence to simply rest in our minds, rarely questioning how much it truly affects us or what its unveiled nature really is. The penultimate detail of this piece in my mind actually goes off of what I previously mentioned about rarely piercing the regular and passive attitude that time has shrouded over our every day life. That second detail is the tree branch stemming from the block with an extremely distorted clock hanging from one of its boughs. I believe it is meant to represent the rare thought of questioning time, or almost expanding and growing your idea of time in a different direction, like a tree branch. Finally, my opinion on which detail is the most important makes a very passive part of this painting more active, because the eerily still water doesn't seem to be significant unless perceived in a certain way. While we are coasting through time, experiencing nothing that isn't measured by a clock, the universe around us is quite oblivious to our perceptions. It is just as serene and tranquil as the body of water in the background of this art, just as neutral to how we witness events happening through the veil of time.
ReplyDeleteThe first detail that strikes my eye is the way everything is. The landscape is barren like a wasteland, and and the objects that appear in the foreground seem to be melting. This painting seems to depict a state of dreaming. The pale figure on the ground in the center of the painting is half of a face. As you can see, there is one closed eye with long eyelashes and what seems to be part of a nose. The pocket watches portray time. Even in a surreal state of dreaming time is still present. Even if it is not relevant, it is there. The third thing that catches my eye is the dead tree on the platform in the bottom left of the scene. Although this painting is a state of a dream death and time are still present. All in all, The artist depicts a state of dreaming in a barren landscape, and even though it is a dream there is always some reality.
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