Dali's 'Le Christ'

Salvador Dalí s much loved painting Le Christ (1951) §seems to portray the crucified Christ looking down §protectively on the Sea of Galilee, where there are §an ancient nobleman, a fisherman and his boat, and a §modern-suited man. Yet Le Christ has attracted §academic suspicion of its intentions, as also §physical assaults from members of the public. Dalí s §conversion to Catholicism in 1941 it fitted with his §breaking with conventional Surrealism and his siding §with Franco in Spain s civil war. Yet Le Christ §gives rise to doubts as to its straightforward §religiosity. Dalí s Christ is not conspicuously §suffering: there are no nails, no blood, no sweat §and no crown of thorns, but many reminders of Dalí s §beloved home of Port Lligat and of his sex-mad wife, §Gala, who had escaped from Russian Communism. §Christ s face is obscured and there is no title on §the Cross indicating who is being crucified §instead just a piece of paper lifted from a painting §by Dalí s hero, Velazquez. So Dali probably saw and §painted himself as the Christ-like figure on his §Cross. Dalí believed he was born to save the world §from modern non-realist art -- though not by the §route of martyrdom. Salvador Dalí s much loved painting Le Christ (1951) §seems to portray the crucified Christ looking down §protectively on the Sea of Galilee, where there are §an ancient nobleman, a fisherman and his boat, and a §modern-suited man. Yet Le Christ has attracted §academic suspicion of its intentions, as also §physical assaults from members of the public. Dalí s §conversion to Catholicism in 1941 it fitted with his §breaking with conventional Surrealism and his siding §with Franco in Spain s civil war. Yet Le Christ §gives rise to doubts as to its straightforward §religiosity. Dalí s Christ is not conspicuously §suffering: there are no nails, no blood, no sweat §and no crown of thorns, but many reminders of Dalí s §beloved home of Port Lligat and of his sex-mad wife, §Gala, who had escaped from Russian Communism. §Christ s face is obscured and there is no title on §the Cross indicating who is being crucified §instead just a piece of paper lifted from a painting §by Dalí s hero, Velazquez. So Dali probably saw and §painted himself as the Christ-like figure on his §Cross. Dalí believed he was born to save the world §from modern non-realist art -- though not by the §route of martyrdom.