This work is another excellent example of Dalí's idea of Nuclear Mysticism, in which he has combined ideas of science and religion. As in several other Dalí masterworks (namely The Ecumenical Council) we are unable to view the face of God here. The elements of the Catholic Eucharist, bread and wine, are present on the table, a direct reference back to Dalí's Catalonian heritage. The wondrous landscape of Dalí's homeland once again dominates the surrounding background, and the whole scene seems to be taking place inside some surreal and ethereal building.
    Perhaps even more importantly, this work translates Dalí's desire to become Classic in that he is adhering to the rules of Divine Proportion. The theory of the Golden Section, as forwarded by Euclid, created in Dalí a whole new painting style, in which these classical artistic techniques were elevated to modern levels of mastery.

    Classical influences are again most prevalent in this Masterwork. Dalí had many times painted still life works such as tabletops filled with fruit, fish or bread. But this work is particularly important because it shows some of these objects in motion, suggesting Dalí's themes of Nuclear Mysticism.
    The knife in the center of the painting divides the work into several perfect sections, another reference to Dalí's obsession with classical methodology. The fruits in the upper right hand portion of the work are all in nuclear motion, as are one of the fruit bowls and the water spilling out of the decanter. A hand holds a rhinoceros horn on the left hand side of the work, while a cauliflower floret dominates the upper right hand section. All of these objects suggest the natural spiral shapes with which Dalí had become so obsessed.
    The small, colorful bits in the lower center of the work represent, according to Dalí, the bits of matter that are left over from when he painted this work. Taken as a whole, this piece is an in-depth examination of the tenets expounded upon Dalí in his theories of Divisionism and Nuclear Mysticism. Dalí asserted that all matter was not at all like it seemed, but instead had attributes that even he was only able to guess at. As nuclear physics continued to mature, Dalí was somewhat 'vindicated' in these beliefs, once the true nature of matter began to be unveiled.

    This painting is one of a series of seven that Dalí painted for his friend Billy Rose, to replace a 1944 series Dalí had painted for him called The Seven Lively Arts, which were destroyed in a fire at Billy's home. The Dance is a visual interpretation of rock and roll. In the previous series, this picture had been called Boogie-Woogie after the current dance and music scene of that name.
    1956 was the year in which Dalí launched his own perfume, which was also called Rock "n" Roll. Dalí explained the allure of Rock "n" Roll saying "I love anything that is dionysic, violent and aphrodisiac". In The Dance he has represented all three of these qualities. The naked figures are deformed, with their bodies twisted out of shape through the energy of their dance. They are pulling each other apart; the hand of the man is squeezing the neck of the woman, another hand (he has three) stretches her arm. The picture is a further exploration of the sexual cannibalism theme portrayed in Autumnal Cannibalism (1936); the idea of love being devouring.

    Dalí said that his inspiration for The Ascension of Christ came from a "cosmic dream" that he had in 1950, some eight years before the painting was completed. In the dream, which was in vivid color, he saw the nucleus of an atom, which we see in the background of the painting; Dalí later realized that this nucleus was the true representation of the unifying spirit of Christ.
    The feet of Christ point out at the viewer, drawing the eye inwards along his body to the center of the atom behind him. The atom has the same interior structure as the head of a sunflower. As with most of Dalí's other paintings of Christ, his face is not visible. Above the Christ is Gala, her eyes wet with tears.
    The figure of the Christ, from his feet in the foreground to his outstretched arms, forms a triangle. Dalí had used the same geometry for his Lapis-lazuli Corpuscular Assumption. He used a triangular structure first in the 1951 painting Christ of St. John of the Cross. The inspiration for this form came from a drawing by Spanish mystic St. John of the Cross, where Christ is depicted as if seen from above.