10. The Persistence of Time by Salvador Dali
We are continuing our list of famous paintings with the stories behind them with the famous painting of melting clocks. It is what propelled its artist, Dali, to worldwide fame. Some interpreted the unusual clocks as an attempt of the painter to show Einstein’s theory of relativity, however, when asked, Dali stated that he was inspired by some Camembert cheese melting in the sun! Its background was influenced by Catalonia, the region in Spain where Dali spent his childhood. A future painting titled The Disintegration of the Persistence of Memory also features melting clocks in a fashion similar to the original, such that it can be labeled its sequel. Dali also painted several melting clocks in future paintings; Profile of Time is just one example.
