Dali - Jesus by Maya (stencil artist), Cambridge

Whilst randomly searching the interest for information on Charlie Mackesy, I came across this image on someones blog, hope they don't mind me pinching it! I love the fact someone is using graffiti in a good way...well I personally think its good. From what I've been able to find out, this image is a door way of a church in Cambridge. I'm not sure whether the artist had prior permission, but the church are delighted with it.

I have been researching into Dali's 'Christ of Saint John of the Cross'. I had not realised that the reason for the title is because Dali based this painting on sketches made by Saint John, a 16th century Spanish friar.

On the bottom of Dali's sketches for the painting, he explained his inspiration for it:

"In the first place, in 1950, I had a 'cosmic dream' in which I saw this image in color and which in my dream represented the 'nucleus of the atom.' This nucleus later took on a metaphysical sense; I considered it 'the very unity of the universe,' the Christ!"

The structure of the painting is also based on a triangle and a circle. The triangle, being the shape of Jesus' arms, are believed to represent the Trinity (three sides), and the circle may be an allusion to Platonic thought.

I've been wondering why he choose to paint Jesus over the water, and whether it had any biblical reference. I have been unable to find an answer to this, but I have learnt that the scene is of Bay of Port Lligat, Dali's home town. I like to think it does bear relation of the life of Jesus.