Christ of St John of the Cross

Salvador Domingo Felipe Jacinto Dalí  (11 May 1904 – 23 January 1989), known as Salvador Dalí  was a Spanish surrealist artist renowned for his technical skill, precise draftsmanship, and the striking and bizarre images in his work

One of Dali's most popular paintings, The Sacrament of the Last Supper, was completed during Dalí's post-World War II period, which is characterized by his increased interest in science, optical illusion and religion. During this time he became a devout Roman Catholic.  This painting is on display in The National Gallery in Washington, DC

The notorious Spanish Surrealist painter Salvador Dalí (1904–1989) created Christ of St John of the Cross in 1951. In Dalí's unusual depiction, Christ floats over a darkened sky, reflected by a shore beneath in which a fishing boat is moored. The birds-eye perspective and composition were influenced by a drawing by Spanish mystic John of the Cross (1542–1591) who sketched Christ after claiming he saw the crucifixion in a mystical vision.

Similarly, Dalí claimed he was inspired to paint this unusual depiction of Christ after experiencing a 'cosmic dream'. By the 1940s, Dalí began to return to his religious roots, though previously he had turned away from Catholicism.