Known for frequent use of the desert in his paintings, Dali has a reason for his seemingly random setting. Through the juxtaposition of place and the objects within, he is able to create a dream-like feeling for his artwork. One of the things that is most intriguing about this piece is his placement of both clocks and tabletop-like shapes in such a place that they would normally never be seen. In a dream, the logical reasoning of things such as placement and setting almost never makes sense. Through Dali's strategic choice in background, he is able to replicate the mysterious feeling that is often felt while dreaming.
Perhaps the most widely-known object that Salvador Dali has ever painted are the four melting clocks depicted in "The Persistence of Memory". In order to display the obscurity of time during a dream, he places a very distinct surrealist style on the clocks. Through this decision, he is making a direct analogy to his purpose: the distortion of the clocks symbolizes the distortion of time. Dali also shows this in the melting of the sleeping face on the ground. By using this style in both the clocks and the figure that is experiencing the dream, he is able to effectively tie the two together to communicate the impenetrable passing of time within a dream.
For many, "The Persistence of Memory" may actually cause a lot of confusion, which is why it is most effective. Salvador Dali is able to place the viewers into the dreamlike realm of this piece. Through juxtaposition between place and objects, and his surrealist style, Dali is able to show that the passing of time within a dream is both puzzling and impossible to keep track of.
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