| Crucifixion (Corpus Hypercubus) | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Artist | Salvador Dalí |
| Year | 1954 |
| Medium | Oil on canvas |
| Dimensions | 194.3 cm × 123.8 cm (76.5 in × 48.7 in) |
| Location | Metropolitan Museum of Art,New York |
Crucifixion (Corpus Hypercubus) is a 1954oil-on-canvas painting bySalvador Dalí. A nontraditional,surrealistportrayal of the Crucifixion, it depicts Christ on apolyhedron net of atesseract (hypercube). It is one of his best-known paintings from the later period of his career.
During the 1940s and 1950s Dalí's interest in traditional surrealism diminished and he became fascinated withnuclear science, feeling that "thenceforth, the atom was [his] favorite food for thought". Theatomic bombing at the end of World War II left a lasting impression; his 1951 essay "Mystical Manifesto" introduced an art theory he called "nuclear mysticism" that combined his interests inCatholicism, mathematics, science, andCatalan culture in an effort to reestablish classical values and techniques, which he extensively utilized inCorpus Hypercubus.[1]
That same year, to promote nuclear mysticism and explain the "return to spiritual classicism movement" in modern art,[2] he traveled throughout the United States giving lectures. Before paintingCorpus Hypercubus, Dalí announced his intention to portray an exploding Christ using both classical painting techniques along with the motif of the cube, and he declared that "this painting will be the greatmetaphysical work of [his] summer".Juan de Herrera'sTreatise on Cubic Forms was particularly influential to Dalí.[3]
Corpus Hypercubus is painted in oil on canvas, and its dimensions are 194.3 cm × 123.8 cm (76.5 in × 48.75 in).[4] Consistent with his theory of nuclear mysticism, Dalí uses classical elements along with ideas inspired by mathematics and science. Some noticeably classic features are the drapery of the clothing and theCaravaggesque lighting that theatrically envelops Christ, though like his 1951 paintingChrist of Saint John of the Cross,Corpus Hypercubus takes the traditional biblical scene of Christ's Crucifixion and almost completely reinvents it. The union of Christ and the tesseract reflects Dalí's opinion that the seemingly separate and incompatible concepts of science and religion can in fact coexist.[5] Upon completingCorpus Hypercubus, Dalí described his work as "metaphysical, transcendentcubism".[3]
While he did attempt to distance himself from the Surrealist movement after his development of nuclear mysticism, inCorpus Hypercubus Dalí incorporates dreamlike features consistent with his earlier work, such as the levitating Christ and the giant chessboard below. Jesus' face is turned away from the viewer, making it completely obscured. The crown of thorns is missing from Christ's head as are the nails from his hands and feet, leaving his body completely devoid of the wounds often closely associated with the Crucifixion. WithChrist of Saint John of the Cross, Dalí did the same in order to leave only the "metaphysical beauty of Christ-God". Dalí sets the painting at the bay of his hometownPort Lligat inCatalonia, which is also the setting of other paintings of his includingThe Madonna of Port Lligat,The Sacrament of the Last Supper, andChrist of Saint John of the Cross.
A viewer's eyes may quickly be drawn to the knees of Christ, which have a grotesque exaggeration of hyperrealistic detail. On close observation of the original painting, five different images of Dalí's wifeGala appear in Christ's right knee, and five different images of Dalí himself appear in the left knee; the most prominent two being Gala's back/neck/back of head with right arm extended upward, and Dalí's own face complete with his trademark upswept mustache. The additionalembedded images are more difficult to see in low-quality reproductions or prints.
The most striking change Dalí makes from nearly every other crucifixion painting concerns the cross, which he transforms into an unfolded net of atesseract (also known as a hypercube). The unfolding of a tesseract into eight cubes is analogous to unfolding the sides of a cube into six squares. The use of a hypercube for the cross has been interpreted as a geometric symbol for the transcendental nature of God. Just as the concept of God exists in a space that is incomprehensible to humans, the hypercube exists in four spatial dimensions, which is equally inaccessible to the mind. The net of the hypercube is a three-dimensional representation of it, similar to how Christ is a human form of God that is more relatable to people.
The word "corpus" in the title can refer both to the body of Christ and to geometric figures, reinforcing the link Dalí makes between religion and mathematics and science.[6] Christ's levitation above the earth could symbolize his rise above earthly desire and suffering. The motif of the cube is present elsewhere: Gala is standing on one, and the chessboard is made up of squares.
On the bottom left of the painting, Dalí painted his wife Gala asMary Magdalene looking up at Jesus. Dalí thought of her as the "perfect union of the development of the hypercubic octahedron on the human level of the cube". He used her as a model because "the most noble beings were painted byVelázquez andZurbarán. [He] only [approaches] nobility when painting Gala, and nobility can only be inspired by the human being."[3]
Fiona Macdonald describes the painting as showing a classical pose of Christ superimposed on a mathematical representation of thefourth dimension that is both unseeable and spiritual, considering it to be "arguably the greatest expression of [Dalí's] scientific curiosity".[7] Gary Bolyer assesses it as "one of the most beautiful works of the modern era."[8]
NovelistAyn Rand declaredCorpus Hypercubus to be her favorite painting, and she would spend hours contemplating it at theMetropolitan Museum of Art. She felt a connection betweenJohn Galt's defiance over his spiritual ordeal in her novelAtlas Shrugged and Dalí's portrayal of Christ in the painting.[9]
A reproduction of the painting is mentioned inJ. G. Ballard's 1969 surrealist novel,The Atrocity Exhibition and inRobert J. Sawyer's 1998 science fiction novel,Factoring Humanity.
After being first exhibited in Rome in 1954,Corpus Hypercubus was acquired in 1955 by theMetropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, where it was renamedCrucifixion. After nearly 25 years, the painting was loaned to theCentre Georges Pompidou in Paris, theDaimaru Museum in Osaka, and theTate Gallery in London from December 1979 until June 1980. Throughout the early and mid 1980sCrucifixion was loaned to museums in Japan, Mexico, and Spain, including thePalau Reial de Pedralbes in Barcelona, the only time the painting has been exhibited in Catalonia, Dalí's home region.
It was later loaned to theStaatsgalerie Stuttgart in Germany and the Pabellón de España at the Universal Exposition of Seville 1992 before being loaned long-term to theSalvador Dalí Museum (St. Petersburg, Florida) from 1993 to 1999. In 2000, it was loaned to theWadsworth Atheneum in Connecticut from January to March and theHirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden in Washington DC, as part of the traveling show "Dalí's Optical Illusions". In 2005,Corpus Hypercubus spent four months at thePhiladelphia Museum of Art in a major retrospective of Dalí's work, and in 2006 it was loaned to theMuseum Ludwig in Cologne, before returning to New York City.[4]
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