Design Principles - Task 2: Visual Analysis & Ideation

08/03/25 - (Week 3- Week 5)

Nastaran Erfan || 0368366

Design Principles || Bachelor of Mass Communication (Honors) Digital Media Production 

Task 2: Visual Analysis & Ideation

1.0 Instructions

 

2.0 Recap of Task 2

This task requires us to go back to the chosen artwork in Task 1 and study the design principles that apply to it and find various ways to improve it.

3.0 Design

The Persistence Of Memory
Artist: Salvador Dalí
Year: 1931
Medium: Oil on canvas
Size: 24 × 33 cm (9.5 × 13 inches)

4.0 Visual Analysis (348 words)

Observation

This painting is in landscape. There are a total of 4 clocks, 3 of which look like they’re melting. The other clock is orange, and it has a bunch of ants on it. There seems to be hills and a beach in the background. There’s this character on the ground; it’s got human looking eyelashes and 2 noses. The main colors used in this piece are a variety of yellows, mainly yellow ochre, orange, soft de-saturated blues and browns. The main focus in this painting are the organic irregular shapes of the clocks and the figure on the ground. All of the molten clocks seem to be strategically placed, not too close or too far apart from one another, one of them is on the ledge of a platform, the other one is one a dead tree branch and the other is on top of the strange looking character.

Analysis

This painting has asymmetrical balance. The molten clocks draw our eyes downwards and it gives the piece some sense of movement. The emphasis is on organic shapes such as the silhouette of the molten clocks and the character on the ground. There’s a lot of contrast between the elements, the background and foreground. The ground is a very dark brown which makes the objects and figure stand out, and the sky is very bright compared to everything else. There are repeating elements in the painting, such as the ants and the molten clocks which are similar to one another. Symbolism is heavily implied in this piece as each item has a meaning behind it.

Interpretation

This painting was made in 1931, it is a surrealistic painting with a twist and a touch of reality that depicts the fluidity of time and the lingering, yet decaying memories of the past. The biomorphic appearance of the deformed face echoes themes of memory and existential ambiguity by suggesting a deteriorating or dream-state identity. While the viewer's perception of reality is challenged by the combination of genuine detail with surreal components, the desolate, abandoned terrain provokes emotions of solitude (Dominic Witek, 2022).

5.0 Sketches

I decided to sketch my ideas on paper using colored pencils, alcohol markers and fine liners.

Idea 1:

Figure 2.1: Sketch 1

Firstly, I tried to stay true to the original work as much as possible but also experimented with the lines to make them more expressive and add more movement, inspired by the line weight variations typically achieved with brush-tipped markers and inks. I drew inspiration from several Asian artists, including Tang Yin, Utagawa Hiroshige, and Hokusai. 

Reference:

Figure 2.2: Serving Tea Under a Pine by Tang Yin (1470-1524)

Idea 2:

Figure 2.3: Sketch 2

What if persistence of memory was more colorful? In this version I tried to replicate the geometrical and organic shapes of the original painting, but I changed to color palette to give it a more dream-like aesthetic, mainly inspired by Monet and Bob Ross landscapes. I also wanted to bring emphasis to the figure so I colored it purple.

Reference:

Figure 2.4: Impression, Rising Sun by Claude Monet (1872)

Idea 3: 

Figure 2.5: Sketch 3

Now, what if the persistence of memory looked a bit more dynamic, had even more contrast than the original work? With this one I drew heavy inspirations from Van Gogh’s art style and color palette. I also used a more saturated version of the colors in the original painting. To emphasize on the figure even more, I changed its pose and made it slightly more human-like.

Reference:

Figure 2.6: The Starry Night by Vincent van Gogh (1889)

6.0 Feedback

I was told to work on the 3rd sketch because it has potential and that all 3 sketches are good.