Imitationalism
This painting is a surrealist painting therefore it is not
meant to look real. The artist used bright colours that don’t look realistic
for the scene that is being portrayed. There are many objects in this painting
that wouldn’t normally be found is a desert setting such as the pool, the
various melting clocks, the giant brown block, the tree growing out of the
giant block and the white form in the middle of the painting. The melting
clocks look like a real clock would look if it were melting, but clocks don’t
melt and they also don’t belong in the desert or this picture. The white form
is the most bizarre and most interesting part of the painting, this is because
no one knows what it is and everyone can interpret it differently. It is sometimes
seen as an animal, an animal skin, or even a portrait of the artist Salvador
Dali. Because you cannot tell what it is and it doesn’t depict a specific
object, it is very unrealistic. Overall imitationally this painting is poor
because it is not realistic.
Formalism
This painting is great formally for many reasons. This
artwork has asymmetrical balance. The block with the bottle and the melting
clocks on it in the lower left corner balances the mountains in the upper right
corner. While the tree and the pool in the upper left corner is balanced by the
white form and the darkness in the bottom right corner. The painting has very
intense and contrasting colours that create contrast and emphasis. The top half
of the painting has bright colours that contrast with the bottom half of the
painting that has darker colours. There is emphasis on the white figure in the
middle of the painting because it is white, which contrast with the darkness
all around it. There are a variety of implied textures such as the smooth
water, the hard and bumpy mountains, and the grainy ground. The spacing and
placement of the mountains, white figure, the block and the pool create
movement. The viewer’s eye is led all around the painting. There isn’t really
any repetition of shapes in this artwork, but that is part of its beauty. The
same colours are repeated everywhere and the shapes work well together which
creates rhythm. There is a variety of straight, curvy and jagged lines. These
lines create organic and geometrical shapes. Overall this painting has strong
harmony
and unity.
Emotionalism
This painting is very odd emotionally. Looking at “The
persistence of memory” it is hard to figure out what feelings are trying to be
communicated. This is because it is a surrealist painting. When I look at it I
feel confused but that is good because it makes me want to try and understand
it more. The desert setting creates a lonely and isolated feeling because there
are no signs of life or civilization around. The melting clocks make it feel
like time is passing so slow that it is almost frozen, this creates a very
tired and slow feeling. The strange collection of objects in the painting makes
the viewer curious and puzzled. Emotionally this artwork is very good because
it creates a variety of feelings and it keeps the viewer interested.