One critic has called it a masterpiece. Another has called it junk. One has described it as “a meditation on the mystery of Jesus giving his flesh and blood as food and drink.” (Kane in Art and the Eucharist) Another has described it as “a perversion of Christianity, a descent into the very worst form of irrational mysticism.”

It’s Shocking. It’s Jarring
But look at the details, and you will see that Dali’s Sacrament of the Last Supper embodies profound truth.

What’s Real and What’s Not Real
The landscape is real - a bay near Dali’s home of Port Lligat. The table is real, the wine is real, and bread is real. They cast shadows. Interestingly, the two halves of the loaf of bread frame the image of Christ. But Christ’s image is NOT real, even though He is at the very center of the picture. He’s transparent.

Where Christ is Pointing
Christ is pointing in two directions; with this right hand He points upward to the headless torso above Him, and with his left He points to Himself, as if to say about the headless, transparent torso, “That’s Me.”

The Room
The room (which is also transparent) in which the torso floats is a dodecahedron.

Think about the number twelve: 12 apostles, 12 hours in a day, 12 months in a year, 12 signs of the zodiac - the dodecahedron is an ancient symbol of Heaven.

The Headless Torso
So who or what is the torso in this twelve-sided Heaven? When Christ points to indicate, ”That’s Me,” is the paintng suggestng there are two Christs? More likely, the torso a visual representaHon of Jesus’ reply when Phillip asked, “Lord, show us the Father.” Jesus answered, “Don’t you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time?. . . Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father.” (Jn 14:8-9) But why is the Father headless? Remember God’s warning to Moses: “You cannot see My face, for no man can see Me and live!” (Ex. 33:20) The torso is outside the room, and its arms are spread, God- like, to embrace the whole scene.
           
The Figures Around the Table
We expect these twelve to be the apostles, but are they? Each figure on the right is a mirror image of the figure on the left. They bow, not to the transparent Christ, but to the bread. Who they are is less important than what they are doing: bowing in prayer at a celebration of the Eucharist.

The Landscape With the Boats
There are several boats on the lake, but the largest one emerges at the wound in Christ’s side. A boat is often used to represent the Church, and this boat emerges from the very wound that poured out water and blood. The Church is joined to Christ by the waters of Baptism and by communion with Christ through the blood of the Eucharist.

The Name of the Painting
The painting is not called The Last Supper. Instead, it is called The Sacrament of the Last Supper. Dali isn’t showing us what happened when Christ instituted the Lord’s Supper. Instead, he is showing us what happens in the sacrament on the altar. Christ, transparent/unseen, is present in the bread and wine. If we “see” Him, we also “see” the Father. And what about the Holy Spirit? The faithful, bowing in prayer in recognition of the miracle on the altar, show the presence of the Holy Spirit.

Thus, the painting reminds us that our worship on Earth in the celebration of the Eucharist makes present the unseen realities of Heaven.

Further Study:
Easter Sunday, 1955: Dali's Sacrament of the Last Supper
A Sermon Preached in Trinity College Chapel, Cambridge