The Persistence of Memory

Time is the theme here, from the melting watches to the decay implied by the swarming ants. The monstrous fleshy creature draped across the paintings center is an approximation of Dalís own face in profile. Mastering what he called "the usual paralyzing tricks of eye-fooling," Dalí painted this work with "the most imperialist fury of precision," but only, he said, "to systematize confusion and thus to help discredit completely the world of reality." There is, however, a nod to the real: The distant golden cliffs are those on the coast of Catalonia, Dalís home.

This painting features one of Dali's most popular images, the melting watch. In 1931, Dali painted his first melting watch. He said he was inspired one hot day while working in his studio when he noticed some runny Camembert cheese. To Dali, the oozing cheese resembled a melting watch, so immediately he painted three melting watches on his canvas, capturing the public's imagination for succeeding generations.

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