The artwork titled “Corpuscular Madonna” was created by the artist Salvador Dali in 1952. It is a religious painting rendered in pencil and ink, reflecting the influence of the Surrealist movement. The dimensions of the work are 55.8 by 43.2 cm. The piece is part of the collection at the Birmingham Museum of Art located in Birmingham, Alabama, United States.
The artwork presents a distinctive vision of the Madonna, which diverges from traditional religious iconography. It appears to consist of an agglomeration of corpuscular forms and shapes, giving the representation an almost fragmented or molecular structure. Dali’s strokes vary in intensity, suggesting depth and volume, while the Madonna herself seems to be emerging from or dissolving into an undefined background, a common motif in Surrealist works which often explore the intersection between reality and dreamlike imaginings. Despite the fragmented nature, the Madonna’s halo suggests her sanctity, and one can interpret the depiction as a meditation on the mysteries of the divine and the spiritual made manifest in physical form.
