Salvador Dali: emblems and mystical art
Salvador Dalí (1904-1989) recovered the legacy of sixteenth-century Castilian mysticism of Teresa of Jesus and John of the Cross. Horrified by the atomic bomb, Salvador turned to Discalced Carmelite mysticism seeking an alternative knowledge to technical and warlike destruction. As a Stirling Maxwell fellow at the University of Glasgow, our aim is to not only address Dalí's affiliation to the mystical tradition of the Siglo de Oro, but also his link with the emblematic tradition of the Italian Renaissance.
College of Arts School of Modern Languages and Cultures Stirling Maxwell Centre
Date: Thursday 27 February 2025
Time: 17:00 - 18:30
Venue: Library Seminar Room (formerly TalkLab, University of Glasgow Library, level 3) + Zoom (see below)
Category: Public lectures
Speaker: Verónica Tartabini
Document: Salvador Dali poster
Stirling Maxwell Centre
Spring 2025 Seminar Series
Salvador Dali: emblems and mystical art
Veronica Tartabini, University of Glasgow
Thursday, 27th February 2025, 5 p.m.
All welcome!
The seminar will focus on Salvador Dalí (1904-1989). This artist recovered the legacy of sixteenth-century Castilian mysticism of Teresa of Jesus and John of the Cross. Horrified by the atomic bomb, Salvador turned to Discalced Carmelite mysticism with the aim of finding an alternative knowledge to technical and warlike destruction. He sought a knowledge which could mediate between science and religion, as well as between the human being and the sacred dimension. Take, for instance, Christ of St. John of the Cross, painted by Dalí in 1951 and preserved in the Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum in Glasgow: it is an extraordinary example of his mystical art.
As a Stirling Maxwell fellow at the University of Glasgow, our aim is to not only address Dalí's affiliation to the mystical tradition of the Siglo de Oro, but also his link with the emblematic tradition of the Italian Renaissance (so well represented in the Stirling Maxwell Collection at the University of Glasgow Library).
In-person: Library Seminar Room (Level 3, TalkLab), University of Glasgow Library
On-line: Zoom, register here.