The Persistence of Memory

High school (ages 12+)
Art & Creativity

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/the-persistence-of-memory

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the medium?Oil on canvas
2. What is the date of creation?1931
3. Why do the clocks look like they are melting in the painting?Dalí used the idea of melting clocks to show that time is not fixed. The soft watches suggest time can change with memories, dreams, and feelings. It also shows how our minds can make ordinary things look extraordinary.
4. Where did Salvador Dalí get the idea for the melting clocks?He saw a piece of melting camembert cheese and imagined the clocks melting. He turned that everyday sight into a powerful visual metaphor. The idea shows how Surrealists find the extraordinary in ordinary moments.

Surrealism: An artistic and literary movement that sought to release the creative potential of the unconscious mind.
Subconscious Mind: The part of the mind of which one is not aware but which influences one's behavior and feelings.
Iconography: The visual images and symbols used in a work of art or the study or interpretation of these.
Subjectivity: Based on or influenced by personal feelings, tastes, or opinions.