He was inspired to paint such a magnificent portrait after dreaming of an exact picture of Christ Saint John on the cross the previous year. In his dream, he was able to see a combination of different colours that he applied in the painting. Salvador Dali decided to portray Christ on the cross from a rare angle where he can be viewed from above dangling on the cross. He used oil on canvas to ensure the portrait will remain original for a long time.
On the portrait, Salvador Dali artfully used two realistic different colours that include blue and green to portray the amazing scenery of the sea. The painter used a unique technique of painting the sea at an eye level while the body of Christ hangs in the air from the cross. Behind the cross, the painter used charcoal black oil paint. This was to make the body of Christ to be the centre of attention. He was able to portray Christ’s muscles in a fine tone. Aside from that, he was able to paint shadows that created depth. In addition, Salvador painted faraway mountains at an eye level. At the bottom of the picture, one can see a lone man standing at a dock with his boat. The renowned painter was able to combine realistic colours and orderly design to create an impressive surreal portrait of the religious figure.
Salvador Dali was a legendary surreal artist of his time. He was able to reach the height of his painting career after being influenced by the likes of surreal painters such as Pablo Picasso, Joan Miro, and Raphael to mention the least. Aside from the artists, he was also highly influenced by the by the Dada philosophy. Many artists have tried to follow in his footsteps, but no one has been able to surpass his work. The portrait is currently at Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum in Glasgow, whereby any artist interested in surreal portraits can view it.
