Description
Salvador Dali – Persistence of memory
| Year of Creation: | 1931 |
| Original size: | 33 cm x 24.1 cm |
| Paint style: | Surrealism |
| Original technique: | Oil on canvas |
| Located: | New York Museum of Modern Art |
The Persistence of Memory – Salvador Dalí
The Persistence of Memory is a painting by Salvador Dalí from 1931: soft, melting pocket watches draped over a branch, a table edge and a strange sleeping face on a deserted Catalan shore. We paint our hand-painted study of The Persistence of Memory to order on canvas, in oil or acrylic, in 8 sizes from 33 × 24 cm to 200 × 146 cm or in a custom size. Before The Persistence of Memory is dispatched, we send you a photo of the finished painting.
What does The Persistence of Memory show?
In The Persistence of Memory one soft watch hangs from the branch of a dead olive tree, a second slides off the edge of a brown block, and a third lies over a pale, eyeless profile on the ground, which is Dalí’s own sleeping face; a closed orange watch is covered in ants, and behind it all the golden cliffs of Cap de Creus rise from a still sea. Dalí said the melting watches came to him while he looked at a Camembert softening in the heat, and The Persistence of Memory has become a symbol of time slipping away in a dream.
How is our hand-painted study of The Persistence of Memory made?
Our painters paint the study of The Persistence of Memory by hand, with brushstrokes of different thickness, separately for every order. We paint in oil or acrylic, depending on the subject and the size, so the surface of The Persistence of Memory has a real paint texture that a print does not have. The first photograph shows our finished study of The Persistence of Memory from the front on the easel, the second and third photographs show it at an angle from both sides, the fourth and fifth photographs show the soft watches and the orange pocket watch with its ants up close, where the canvas weave and every brushstroke are visible, and the sixth, seventh and eighth photographs show a smaller study in a gold frame from the front and from the side. When The Persistence of Memory is finished, we photograph it and send you the photo for approval.
Which size of The Persistence of Memory suits your room?
For the wall above a sofa or a sideboard choose The Persistence of Memory in 110 × 80 cm, and for a bedroom, hallway or work corner 33 × 24 cm. The Persistence of Memory is available in 33 × 24 cm, 70 × 51 cm, 80 × 60 cm, 100 × 73 cm, 110 × 80 cm, 120 × 88 cm, 160 × 117 cm and 200 × 146 cm. A simple rule for The Persistence of Memory: it should be about two thirds as wide as the furniture below it, with its centre about 150 cm from the floor.
How does The Persistence of Memory arrive, and when?
We ship The Persistence of Memory rolled in a sturdy tube, stretched on 2.5 cm deep wooden stretcher bars, or framed – you choose when you order. Stretching and framing of The Persistence of Memory are done in our workshop in Slovenia. The 80 × 60 cm size of The Persistence of Memory is in stock and reaches you within 6 working days; in the other sizes we paint the study of The Persistence of Memory to order and you receive it in 15 to 45 days.
Frequently asked questions about The Persistence of Memory
Is The Persistence of Memory a print?
No. Every brushstroke of The Persistence of Memory is painted by hand on canvas, so the paint visibly stands up from the surface.
Can I order The Persistence of Memory in a size that is not listed?
Yes. We also paint The Persistence of Memory in a custom size; enter the width and height you want when you order The Persistence of Memory.
What do the melting clocks in The Persistence of Memory mean?
The melting clocks in The Persistence of Memory show time losing its hard shape in dreams and memory, and the ants on the closed watch stand for decay; Dalí himself linked the soft watches to a Camembert melting in the sun.
Is The Persistence of Memory a good gift?
The Persistence of Memory is a gift for a lover of Dalí, Surrealism or anyone fascinated by the mystery of time. If you are unsure which size of The Persistence of Memory to choose, give a gift voucher.
