Comparison of "The Persistence of Memory" and "The False Mirror"
René Magritte and Salvador Dalí created two artworks that represent the same surrealist theme, but visually contrast one another in visual qualities and elements. Despite this, both artworks hold similar creative surrealist themes, though the ideas and context behind them differ. Magritte’s The False Mirror (1928) and Dalí’s The Persistence of Memory (1931) use similar styles which make them visually appealing to the viewer whilst at the same time remaining unique and dissimilar to each other. This is due to the different interpretations of the general public, intentions of the artists and contextual background of each work. In similarities, however, the artworks aim at achieving a similar sense of a dreamlike state as a common goal.
The first artwork is Magritte’s The False Mirror, also known as Le Faux Miror (the original French title), was painted using oil on canvas. Magritte’s composition consists of a large human eye that frames the blue sky and the puffy clouds in the background. The iris has been ‘transformed into an eerie eclipsed sun’, which the artist suggests ‘lies the unconsciousness’. This is a way of perceiving the reality of things and as such. The iris in the artwork holds more color and life than the pupil, which is black, dead and lacks the vibrancy of the rest of the eye. Magritte intended for the eye to perceive only what can be seen, and not the real world. Magritte was a member of the Surrealist circle, artists heavily involved with communism and was a follower of André Brenton, a self-proclaimed ‘pope of surrealism’. For much of his life Magritte did not achieve fame or much accomplishment, not until The False Mirror and because of the artwork, many different interpretations are achieved.
The False Mirror was most widely acknowledged to represent the limitations in human vision. This can be backed up by the artworks title, The False Mirror. A mirror reflects what can be seen, whereas an eye is subjective. The eye acts as a filter for the human mind to perceive. It begs the question of, ‘Does the eye see what we see?’. In regard to this, the painting was heavily influenced by the stark conditions of the First and Second World Wars. This allows for a possible interpretation of a ‘dreamlike state of peace and tranquility’.
To compare Magritte’s The False Mirror, I have selected Dalí’s composition, The Persistence of Memory. The artwork is widely regarded as a surrealist masterpiece and unlike The False Mirror, it has far more visual elements in the composition. Four melted clocks are the most predominant objects in the artwork. Ants are eating away at the red clock. These clocks are a depiction of the unstable passage of time experienced. The method used to envision these clocks is known as the irrational juxtaposition of images, a surrealist technique and one used by both artists. The ant in the artwork depicts societies ‘impermanent nature’ of keeping time.
Dalí incorporated montages in order to supplement the surrealist theme of his works and to keep the viewers intrigued and asking questions. His work is based heavily on the ‘psychological complexes’ that Sigmund Freud described in his own works. Freud introduced the Dream Theory which suggests that ‘dreams represented unconscious desires, thoughts and motivations.’ Knowing this, it’s possible that Dalí also wanted to visualize how much or how little time humans had to explore the inner workings of their minds. This may have influenced how Magritte completed her composition and the context behind it. In conclusion, both artworks take similar influences from surrealism and incorporated them into their artworks, however, have different approaches to the same theme. Both were created during the same period and even though they have similar artistic and cultural influences, the meaning behind each one is slightly different to one another.
