Salvador Dali (1904-1989)

“Christ of Saint John of the Cross” (Cristo de San Juan de la Cruz)

(1974)

Silver Edition of 250

21.7cm

Literature: Descharnes, Robert & Nicolas “Le Dur et le Mou” catalogue, pg. 168-169, Ref #427-429

This image of Saint John of the Cross, is without a doubt, the best known of all Dali’s religious works. The work was inspired by a drawing by Saint John of the Cross who experienced this rapturous vision of Christ and which is kept in the Monastery of the Incarnation in Avila [Spain]. Dali believed Saint John of the Cross to be “the greatest lyric exponent of this Spanish mysticism which I now bring back to life“.

“From far-off times, people have been and still are, afraid of the fallen head of Jesus dead. But this devotion, this fearful piety, is felt by the people only in its tragic and cruel reality, never in its holiness and greatness…. We can appreciate that every representation of Christ in the cross, emphasizes the blows, the bruises, the marks, the spears, the horrible muscular contractions…. There is not one Passion which depicts the God; they only show the man… This is because nobody can depict the fallen but victorious God, because there exists no human brain that can understand such great concept….” Garcia Lorca The Christs [1918]

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