The Painter Who Entered the Fourth Dimension

8/16/2019 The Painter Who Entered the Fourth Dimension

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The painter who entered the fourth dimension

When mathematician Thomas Banchoff received a message in 1975 asking him to contact

Salvador Dalí, his colleague told him: !t"s either a hoa# or a la$ suit%& 'et it turned out to (e the

start of a colla(oration that lasted almost a decade% )ach *ear, Dalí visited +e$ 'ork and calledon the Bro$n niversit* -rofessor for advice, setting him challenges for art$orks that he ho-ed

one da* to com-lete . including a statue of a horse made u- of three -arts that $ere kilometres

a-art%

The S-anish artist had long found ins-iration in science% /e $rote in his 1950 nti23atter3anifesto: !n the Surrealist -eriod ! $anted to create the iconogra-h* of the interior $orld and

the $orld of the marvellous, of m* father 4reud Toda* the e#terior $orld and that of -h*sics,

has transcended the one of -s*cholog*% 3* father toda* is Dr /eisen(erg%&

There are no nails in this image of crucifi#ion, and the cross is not made of $ood% !t"s not even in

a dimension $e can see%

lthough Dalí continued to e#-lore ideas of theoretical -h*sics until his death in 1909, argua(l*

the greatest e#-ression of his scientific curiosit* came in the form of a 1956 -ainting% /overing

eeril* in the air a(ove a figure modelled (* Dalí"s $ife ala, 8esus hrist a--ears in a -ose thathas (een -ainted (* artists for centuries% 'et there are no nails in this image of crucifi#ion, and

the cross is not made of $ood% !t"s not even in a dimension $e can see%

B* (reaking out of three dimensions, rucifi#ion or-us /*-ercu(us; found ne$ meaning in a

traditional (i(lical scene redit: World /istor* rchive


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rucifi#ion or-us /*-ercu(us; unites a classical -ortra*al of hrist $ith a sha-e that onl*

e#ists in mathematical theor*% Dalí"s floating cross is $hat Banchoff descri(es as an unfolded

four2dimensional cu(e&% !n a >?1> lecture given at the Dalí 3useum, Banchoff e#-lains ho$ theartist $as tr*ing to use something from a three2dimensional $orld and take it (e*ond The

e#ercise of the $hole thing $as to do t$o -ers-ectives at once . t$o su-erim-osed crosses%&

Sculptures of the mind

8ust as the sides of a cu(e can (e unfolded into si# s@uares, a tesseract . or four2dimensionalcu(e . can (e unfolded into eight cu(es% While it"s difficult to gras-, the idea of multi-le

dimensions allo$s scientists to envisage sha-es that mathematician 3arcus du Sauto* calls

scul-tures of the mind&% s he argues in his Aadio -rogramme The Secret 3athematician,

!t"s not -ossi(le to see a 6D cu(e in our limited D universe, (ut there are different $a*s toimagine one%&

!t"s not -ossi(le to see a 6D cu(e in our limited D universe, (ut there are different $a*s to

imagine one% . 3arcus du Sauto*

Dalí"s o$n Cscul-ture of the mind" (rings geometr* into the realm of the meta-h*sical% There isa meditative intensit* to rucifi#ion or-us /*-ercu(us;,& sa*s art critic and -oet ell*

rovier% The -ainting seems to have cracked the link (et$een the s-iritualit* of hristEs

salvation and the materialit* of geometric and -h*sical forces% !t a--ears to (ridge the divide thatman* feel se-arates science from religion%&

Salvador Dalí $orked on his -ainting rucifi#ion or-us /*-ercu(us; for four *ears . this -hoto $as taken in 1951 redit: 4rancesc atala2Aoca;

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IiXck7SgSUAhttp://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b06ys60dhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IiXck7SgSUAhttp://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b06ys60d


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B* (reaking out of three dimensions, the artist could find ne$ meaning in a traditional (i(lical

scene, argues du Sauto*% The idea of the fourth dimension e#isting (e*ond our material $orld

resonated for Dalí $ith the s-iritual $orld transcending our -h*sical universe%&

The shape of things to come

fourth dimension in art seemed for man* a natural develo-ment% !n his 19F Dimensionist

3anifesto, /ungarian -oet and art theorist harles TamkG SiratG claimed that artistic evolution

had led to Hiterature leaving the line and entering the -lane =ainting leaving the -lane andentering s-ace IndJ scul-ture ste--ing out of closed, immo(ile forms%& +e#t, SiratG said,

there $ould (e the artistic con@uest of four2dimensional s-ace, $hich to date has (een

com-letel* art2free&%

u(ists like =a(lo =icasso had alread* attem-ted to re-resent four2dimensional sha-es on thet$o2dimensional canvas, e#cited (* the theories of 19th2entur* mathematicians Bernhard

Aiemann and /enri =oincarK% 'et Dalí looked further (ack for ins-iration, descri(ing his -ainting

as meta-h*sical, transcendent cu(ism&% /e claimed that rucifi#ion or-us /*-ercu(us; $asinfluenced (* a 1th2entur* m*stic and a 1Fth2entur* architect% !t is (ased entirel* on the

Treatise on u(ic 4orm (* 8uan de /errera, =hili- !!"s architect, (uilder of the )scorial =alaceL it

is a treatise ins-ired (* rs 3agna of the atalonian -hiloso-her and alchemist, Aa*mond Hull%&

! said: CThat"s it% That"s the 6D unfolded cross% That"s the or-us /*-ercu(us%" . ThomasBanchoff

ccording to Banchoff, Hull $as a atalonian $ho studied t$o dimensionsL t$o centuries later

/errera took that to the third dimension% /ere"s Dalí in a direct line, taking it u- to the fourth

dimension%& The Bro$n niversit* -rofessor can also see a link (et$een Dalí"s h*-ercu(e and

dra$ings of crosses made (* those stud*ing -ers-ective in the 10th entur*, such as the 4renchastronomer )dme2Se(astien 8eaurat% When 8eaurat and others $ere dra$ing these sha-es in

175?, sa*s Banchoff, the* $ere not thinking of it as an unfolded four2dimensional cu(e . thatcame one or t$o centuries later&%

http://artpool.hu/TamkoSirato/manifest.htmlhttp://artpool.hu/TamkoSirato/manifest.htmlhttp://artpool.hu/TamkoSirato/manifest.htmlhttps://library.humboldt.edu/about/art/artists/dali.htmlhttps://library.humboldt.edu/about/art/artists/dali.htmlhttp://artpool.hu/TamkoSirato/manifest.htmlhttp://artpool.hu/TamkoSirato/manifest.htmlhttps://library.humboldt.edu/about/art/artists/dali.htmlhttps://library.humboldt.edu/about/art/artists/dali.html


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Thomas Banchoff recognised the sha-e of an unfolded four2dimensional cu(e in this sketch (*4rench astronomer )dme2Se(astien 8eaurat redit: 'ouTu(e;

'et Banchoff recognised the sha-e as soon as he sa$ 8eaurat"s sketches% ! said: CThat"s it% That"s

the 6D unfolded cross% That"s the or-us /*-ercu(us%"& Dalí $as a(le to enter the fourth

dimension $ith the hel- of astronomers and m*stics as $ell as mathematicians%

nd he (rought $ith him the fears of his age% or-us /*-ercu(us $as not an eas* -ro(lem tosolve,& sa*s Banchoff% !t took him four *ears (efore he $as satisfied $ith the -ainting%&

rucifi#ion or-us /*-ercu(us; $as com-leted in 1956: the *ear ern in eneva $as founded%

old War fears of nuclear annihilation $ere accelerating,& sa*s rovier% tomic structure, inother $ords, $as on ever*oneEs mind and ho$ tam-ering $ith such m*steries might (ring a(out

either our destruction or survival%&

4or Dalí, geometr* could (e a route to eternal salvation% !n Dalí"s $ork, atomism and science

a--ear to (e the ver* fa(ric on $hich redem-tion and salvation are stitched,& sa*s rovier% Thetesseractic crucifi# $ould seem to e#tend (e*ond the dimensions of this $orld into -lanes

unkno$n%&

!t"s something the artist himself ackno$ledged% s he said in The Dalí Dimension, Thinkers and

literati can"t give me an*thing% Scientists give me ever*thing, even the immortalit* of the soul%&
http://www.ngv.vic.gov.au/dali/salvador/resources/daliandscience.pdfhttp://www.ngv.vic.gov.au/dali/salvador/resources/daliandscience.pdfhttp://www.ngv.vic.gov.au/dali/salvador/resources/daliandscience.pdf

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The Painter Who Entered the Fourth Dimension