Dalí was an eccentric, bold surrealist painter, whose works have been lauded across Spain for their individuality and abstraction. Perhaps one of his best recognised features is his clocks. For decades, artists have tried to work out what they symbolise. And they have come to some surprising conclusions…

The face behind the clock

When we look at ‘The Persistence of Memory’ it is clear that we are not only looking at a clock. Indeed, if you examine it closely enough you may be able to discern a face, Dalí’s face, integrated into its shape. This is not the only time Dalí has incorporated his self portrait into a composition. For instance, the painting “A Soft Self-Portrait With Bacon” depicts a similar version of Dalí melting into the canvas. 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. 

Einstein’s theory of relativity

The movement of science at the time Dalí was painting was moving away from the linear mapping of time to something far more abstract. While some of these notions were beyond Dalí’s comprehension, as these were not straightforward theories, he had somewhat of a grounding in science. 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.

Cheese

Perhaps a more convincing argument, however, was made by Dalí himself. When questioned on the subject of the clocks, Dalí answered that they were comparable to Camembert melting in the sun. 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.