The main shocker of his time, a provocateur and a noble art bully who has glorified his name for centuries ... It would seem that this person consists of continuous contradictions and antics! He loved to walk with the anteater in the streets of European capitals, overeaten chupa-chupsy, wore an incredible mustache and all his life he adored one woman - Russian by birth - who was 11 years older than him.
Salvador Dali is that rare case when genius is spoken out loud in life. He devoted himself to art, he could create only by completely surrendering to the process. “The Crucifixion, or Hypercubic Body” is one of his most famous paintings.
Biblical theme in the works of Dali
Salvador Dali in his work more than once resorted to biblical subjects. Moreover, he created a series of illustrations for the exclusive circulation of the Bible. To write 105 works, he was blessed by the Pope himself.
The painting “The Crucifixion, or Hypercubic Body” was made in the traditional manner for Dali. The characters are spelled with photographic accuracy. The plot of the picture is not an attempt to illustrate the biblical legend, but rather its own interpretation, in which the author, as usual, tries to combine the existing reality with others: fictitious, fantastic or completely possible.
Hypercube
The first to catch the eye of the beholder is the cross on which Christ hangs. The fact is that this is not a cross at all, but a scan of a hypercube, otherwise called a tasseract. This is not just a game of genius with form and space, but a completely clear message from the artist, symbolizing the sad truth that Jesus was crucified because of coldness and soullessness.
Image of Christ
No less important is the pose of the crucified Jesus. Working on the painting “The Crucifixion, or Hypercubic Body”, Salvador Dali was able to give the figure of Christ such a position that the viewer freezes, looking at him. Tension emanates from the image, and the sufferings of Christ are felt very strongly. His tortured posture, protruding chest, face turned away from the viewer - everything speaks of how tormented he is.
Invariable Gala
The eternal muse and love of Dali's whole life - Gala - is also present in the painting "The Crucifixion, or Hypercubic Body". She is standing in the left corner, and before her eyes Christ appears. Gala does not look away, but contemplates Him, frozen in a reverent half-bow. Her figure is dressed up in draperies, as if in front of us is a wanderer.
History of the painting
Dali wrote The Crucifixion, or Hypercubic Body, in 1954. In parallel with work on the picture, he kept a diary. Researchers of his work say that he rarely described the course of work in such detail.
The dimensions of the painting are quite impressive: the height is 194.5 cm and the width is 124 cm.
Currently, the picture is stored in the New York Metropolitan Museum of Art.