I've only seen one large scale Dali in person, "Santiago el Grande" at the Beaverbrook Gallery in Fredericton New Brunswick CA (it was their signature work): https://www.salvador-dali.org/en/artwork/catalogue-raisonne-paintings/colleccions/beaverbrook-art-gallery-fredericton-new-brunswick/729/saint-james-the-great

As with the Christ of St John, it was very moving--much to my surprise. Dali may seem to many intellectuals to be a popularizer of taste, but I think his work is much more complex, ironic even. Your discussion brings out some of the complexities of his vision.

Surrealists--with their appreciation of our unconscious lives--may be the true heirs of the religious paintings of the Renaissance and Baroque.