The Persistence of Memory

The Persistence of Memory was done by Salvador Dali in 1931 and first shown at the Julien Levy Galler and is widely recognized. In this work Dali is proclaimed to have been representing the themes of surrealism and illusionism during the time of the Dada movement.

The Persistence of Memory includes the characteristics due to Dali's theme of dreams in throughout his work which related to Freud's work of the psychoanalytic field. The painting is surreal and illusionary in the sense of the abstract melting pocket watches along with the abstract creature in the center.
Popular interpretations include Dali's theory of "hardness" and "softness" where he would disregard the social acceptances of things of solid matter, such as the clocks that appear to be flimsy or melting. A human figure is recognized in the creature as being a self portrait of Dali as he depicts himself in this "dream, " another reference to Freudianism. However, Dali also brings realism to the piece with the known cliffs from Catalonia in the background and this his reference to reality.
On a personal interpretation I more agree to the clocks as the passing of time. It make me think of the saying or theory that "time is linear," however with an ending point. I believe this is showcased with the deceased creature, the clocks, and the ants that swarm the most correctly formed clock (the bottom left gold one).

Sources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Persistence_of_Memory
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salvador_Dal%C3%AD
http://www.moma.org/collection/object.php?object_id=79018
http://www.authenticsociety.com/about/ThePersistenceOfMemory_Dali