One can observe that the creature has one closed eye with several eyelashes, suggesting that the creature is also in a dream state. It can be read as a "fading" creature, one that often appears in dreams where the dreamer cannot pinpoint the creature's exact form and composition. The creature seems to be based on a figure from the Paradise section of Hieronymus Bosch's The Garden of Earthly Delights, which Dalí had studied. It is possible to recognize a human figure in the middle of the composition, in the strange "monster" (with much texture near its face, and much contrast and tone in the picture) that Dalí used in several contemporary pieces to represent himself – the abstract form becoming something of a self-portrait, reappearing frequently in his work. Smarthistory - Dali's The Persistence of Memory Asked by Ilya Prigogine whether this was in fact the case, Dalí replied that the soft watches were not inspired by the theory of relativity, but by the surrealist perception of a Camembert melting in the sun. This interpretation suggests that Dalí was incorporating an understanding of the world introduced by Albert Einstein's theory of special relativity. As Dawn Adès wrote, "The soft watches are an unconscious symbol of the relativity of space and time, a Surrealist meditation on the collapse of our notions of a fixed cosmic order". It epitomizes Dalí's theory of "softness" and "hardness", which was central to his thinking at the time. Although this may seem slightly strange, it certainly embodies the surrealist movement and the way it took everyday objects and alienated them in bizarre, abstract landscapes.The well-known surrealist piece introduced the image of the soft melting pocket watch. When questioned on the subject of the clocks, Dalí answered that they were comparable to Camembert melting in the sun. Perhaps a more convincing argument, however, was made by Dalí himself. Therefore, some critics like the art historian Dawn Ades made the claim the ‘softness’ of the clocks show the fluidity of time that these scientists were propounding while Dalí was painting. While some of these notions were beyond Dalí’s comprehension, as these were not straightforward theories, he had somewhat of a grounding in science. The movement of science at the time Dalí was painting was moving away from the linear mapping of time to something far more abstract. Some have equated this anthropomorphised face to the elusiveness of dreams, which Dalí was fascinated by, having been a keen supporter of Freudian dream theory, and the powers of the subconscious. For instance, the painting “A Soft Self-Portrait With Bacon” depicts a similar version of Dalí melting into the canvas. This is not the only time Dalí has incorporated his self portrait into a composition. Indeed, if you examine it closely enough you may be able to discern a face, Dalí’s face, integrated into its shape. When we look at ‘The Persistence of Memory’ it is clear that we are not only looking at a clock. And they have come to some surprising conclusions… The face behind the clock For decades, artists have tried to work out what they symbolise. Perhaps one of his best recognised features is his clocks. Dalí was an eccentric, bold surrealist painter, whose works have been lauded across Spain for their individuality and abstraction.
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