by William Clark

Created on: January 20, 2007   Last Updated: May 08, 2007

Salvador Dali, the great crazy genius painter, had a unique way of expressing himself through his art that reveals many Zen-like ways of thinking, and seeing on his part. Dali almost certainly had a very good sense of the power of the senses to frame a reality for people. He employed this keen insight of his to paint many great works that almost take us into the workings of our own brains. Dali almost certainly would not agree with all aspects of Buddhist belief, but he does seem to hold a belief in ultimate unity comparable to Zen ideas. Dali has done as good a job as any painter, in my opinion, of painting the infinite on canvas.

We can start off by getting a sense of the depth of Dali's insight into human character and the way our minds work. We can look at his most famous work, The Persistence of Memory, to get a paramount example of this. Dali said that he painted the piece after he had visited America. He was impressed by the hurriedness of everybody and the way Americans clung to their watches, as if they had a sense of impending doom hanging over their heads because some deadline might not be met. Such a human concept of a deadline is something that adds stress unnecessarily to people's lives. It is no wonder, then, that the Persistence of Memory was, and has remained, so popular in America.
The sense of the watches melting gives a sense of relief. Some strong dualism between ourselves and time has been weakened. Our memories may fade and change, but there is something connecting all of them. This is our original face and what makes us human. We are at once caught in the sands of time and completely free from it. Deadlines are almost an embodiment of our fear of death and give us the sense that we must "accomplish something while we can." Some matters may, indeed, be urgent. This could include preparing for an impending storm or operating on a dying patient. Such urgent activities, though, almost seem to turn off our brain and allow us to function on a purer, non-conceptual level. Real and important urgency affords little time to waste on thought. There is only time for wu-wei, or effortless action.
This is probably why so many people love the concept of the melting watches. The watches are being attacked by ants (who usually represent decay in Dali's works) who have no sense of time. The background is very peaceful. A sun sets over a rock jutting into the water. We have here all the basics necessary for human survival. Dali seems to be saying that

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