A Matter of Time

Time in Art: Time You Can See

"The difference between false memories and true ones is the same as for jewels: it is always the false ones that look the most real, the most brilliant." Salvador Dali

Time has had a significant influence in the world of visual arts. Artists depict various symbols such as watches, clocks, seasons, eras, or important events in history to represent the passing of time. Time is an abstract concept, and many artists present it as such. Some artists however, turn time into something more tangible for the audience. For example, you could present time in a way that was not particularly direct, such as drawing a picture of yourself waiting for the bus. On the other hand you could draw a more visually clear example of time, such as a painting an elegant grandfather clock, or the crystal ball falling in Times Square at 11:59 PM on New Year's Eve. Overall, the experience of time in art is a powerful one. This article presents the use of time as a symbol in various works of art. The presentation follows a timeline from oldest to the most recent.

• Probably the most famous example of time in art, Salvador Dalí, a Spanish surrealist painter of the 20th century, created this painting—titled The Persistence of Memory (view the painting, external link) — in 1931. It is an oil on canvas painting. The scene depicted is actually based on the landscape of Catalonia, Spain, where Dalí lived. The melting clocks in the painting represent Dalí’s attempts to show the loss of the meaning of time. The ants crawling over the one watch are meant to demonstrate the decay of time. The title of the painting suggests memory’s ability to remain intact as time decays around it. In all his work, Dalí’s major contribution to surrealist painting was his ‘paranoiac-critical method,’ which allowed him to paint and perceive two different things simultaneously (Bradley) – time and nature in this case. This strange concept made his work unusual, fantastic, and at times somewhat disturbing. All three characteristics clearly manifest themselves in The Persistence of Memory.
  
  
• René Magritte was a Belgian painter who also belonged to the surrealist movement. The presence of time in his painting La Durée poignardé (view the panting, external link) — loosely translated into English as Time Transfixed—is obvious given the painting’s title and the placement of a clock on the mantelpiece. The actual title of the painting, were it to be translated more precisely, would be “ongoing time stabbed by a dagger." Magritte was actually upset about the loose translation, as he “took great pains with the titles of his works" (“Time Transfixed"). The title of the painting shows that Magritte considered the concept of time important to his work, but its actual meaning in the painting remains somewhat mysterious. Many art critics have attempted to analyze the work, but René had rejected most of their viewpoints; he simply wanted the painting to create a feeling of mystery in the viewer (“Time Transfixed – 1939"). The painting is oil on canvas and it was completed in 1939.
  
  
• The painting, "Time of a Rose" (view the panting, external link), attempts to show the passing of time through the life cycle of a simple rose. It was painted by Prachuap Chaikham-udom in 2005. Prachuap was born on March 24, 1957. He grew up in a Thai family and is the second oldest of five children (“Prachuap Chaikham-udom"). Read what Prachuap himself had to say about his goals for this piece, and how they relate to the concept of time: “‘I want to show the act of time,’ the artist says. ‘Today the rose is beautiful but someday it will not be. Everything in the world is ephemeral’" (“Time of a Rose"). The rose appears in multiple planes, passing through time and coming towards the viewer. Prachuap’s focus on nature suggests that he bases his views of time on how time manifests itself in nature—through the changing of seasons and the shifting colors of the leaves. Time of a Rose is oil on canvas.
  
  
• The metal sculpture entitled, "Time Guardian" (view the sculpture, external link) was created in the year 2006 by a Brazilian artist named Mauricio Matta. Time Guardian depicts a fierce warrior who Matta says is a time traveler. The guardian travels through time to rid the world of evil (“Metal Sculpture"). He carries a weapon in his hands, stands at 24.8 inches (about 63 centimeters) tall, and weighs 5.7 pounds (about 2.6 kilograms). Time Guardian is a meld of some interesting parts such as an engine pulley from a Volkswagen car, a mechanical motor from a clock (seen in the middle of the sculpture’s chest), parts from a typewriter, metal bells, parts from a bicycle, and much more (“Metal Sculpture"). Matta makes his sculptures completely from recycled scrap metal.
  

Time has always had a place in art. Both time and art are mysterious concepts that are interpreted differently by different individuals. Both art and time can be very personal things, and both can seem intangible at times. Viewing time through the eyes of an artist can be both enlightening and thought provoking since it differs greatly from seeing time through the eyes of a physicist, psychologist, or philosopher.

Back to top ^