Mrs. Keyfitz's Art Blog

Art Inspiration, Discussion & Appreciation




The Persistence of Memory by Salvador Dali (1931) What we learned- The Spanish Catalan artist was the father of the Surrealist movement in art, which portrayed the fantastical in a realistic way. Dreams largely influenced Dali’s work. In this, his most famous work, Dali utilizes his hard/soft technique by portraying an otherwise hard, concrete object (a clock) as soft (and melting!). The creature shown in profile on the ground is actually Salvador Dali! Discussion Questions: What could the melting clocks represent?  Why did Dali include the ants? What would a painting of your dreams look like?  Why would someone want to paint their dreams?

The Persistence of Memory by Salvador Dali (1931)

What we learned-

  • The Spanish Catalan artist was the father of the Surrealist movement in art, which portrayed the fantastical in a realistic way.
  • Dreams largely influenced Dali’s work.
  • In this, his most famous work, Dali utilizes his hard/soft technique by portraying an otherwise hard, concrete object (a clock) as soft (and melting!).
  • The creature shown in profile on the ground is actually Salvador Dali!

Discussion Questions:

  1. What could the melting clocks represent?  Why did Dali include the ants?
  2. What would a painting of your dreams look like?  Why would someone want to paint their dreams?

Notes