The Persistence of Memory is a painting that was painted by Salvador Dali. It was painted in 1931 by a Spanish painter Salvador Dali. The main components of the painting consists of three melting pocket watches, one closed pocket watch, and a white bed sheet. The setting of the painting is very somber and serene. In the background there is a beachy area with a cliff side of a mountain and what looks like a table to the left of the painting. The sky and horizon are completely clear with no birds, clouds, or distractions. The time period in the painting is later in the day as the sun is going down. The ocean or lake water is also unblemished by seafoam, fish, or trash. The painting is painted with mostly warm colors, but also some cool colors are incorporated . As I analyze this painting I can conclude that painting’s theme is about dreaming because of the white sheet, the melting clocks, and the background of the painting. 

One element of Dali’s painting that you can see that indicated that this painting is about dreaming is the white sheet. At first glance the white sheet could have been mistaken for a dead animal or a monster. But if you look closely it is a white bed sheet that is blowing away. Bed sheets on the ground imply that someone has been sleeping or is going to bed. The reason why the sheet is blowing away is because of how time goes by very fast when you dream. Since the bed sheet is white it brings attention onto itself making it the focal point of the painting. The white sheet also looks as if it is in a sleeping position and a human could be underneath the sheet. Furthermore, the white sheet contrasted on the dark painted ground shows that the sheet is going into a dark state just as you would when you close your eyes when you sleep.  

A second element of the painting that shows how time passes when we are dreaming is the clocks. There are three pocket watches open and one pocket watch closed. The three pocket watches that are open are spread out, and are melting in their spot. One reason why the clocks are melting is to show how time goes by really fast when we are sleeping. Since you can not see the exactly what time the pocket watches are displaying, time is immeasurable similar to a dream. Another reason the clocks are melting is to show that people go from having very busy lives in the morning to very relaxed states at night. The pocket watches that are melting over something signifies how we come home daily to go into a relax state to go to sleep. On the other hand, there is one pocket watch that is closed and it has ants covering it. Usually ants swarm items such as food when they want to break the food item down. The reason why the ants are on the pocket watch is to symbolizes the deteriorating time that occurs when you are sleeping. Since you can never get that time back. It can also signify death because you can not see the time on the clock as it could have ran out. 

The background of the painting also shows how the painting describes the theme of dreaming. When we dream we mostly dream of beautiful and secluded areas. In the background of this painting there is beach and a cliff side of a mountain. As you look from bottom to top of the the painting you go from dark colors to light colors. With the use of the dark shadows around the painting it gives a tunnel like perspective. This signifies a person closing their eyes and then entering their dream state.  Also the yellow coloring right above the horizon and a sky with no bird in it gives the impression that it is nearing dust. Additionally to the left of the painting there is a dead tree coming out of what looks like a table. The dead tree and table do not make any sense of being in the painting, but it connects to dreams because sometimes they do not really make any sense either.

In conclusion, the painting by Salvador Dali has many components that points the theme of dreaming. This is shown by the sheet, pocket watches, and the background of the painting. The bed sheet is the focal point of the painting because bed sheets represent sleeping. There is also an argument that under the sheet it looks as if a human is in the fetal position about to go to sleep. The melted clocks represent how fast time goes by when you are dreaming. Since you can not tell exactly what time the pocket watch tell, time is shown as untold similar to when you are dreaming. They also represent how a busy day make you fall into a relaxed state when the day is over. Also the one clock that is closed indicates that time is stopped or deteriorating because the ants are covering it. This is identical in dream because time in your dream could be going by  very slowly, but you could wake up and only ten minutes have passed in reality. The background of the painting also displays the theme of dreaming by going from a dark shadow just like when you are closing your eyes to a bright area entering a dream. The confusion of why there is a dead tree coming out of a table is similar to the confusion that happens sometimes when you wake up from a dream. Through the objects and background of the painting, the viewer can conclude that painting has the theme of dreaming is displayed throughout the picture.     