Max Ernst | HOW TO SEE the artist with MoMA curator Anne Umland
The Museum of Modern Art・2 minutes read
Max Ernst's diverse artistic mediums and techniques, showcased in an exhibition of 100 works, highlight his whimsical and surreal creations, like collages featuring found imagery and paintings using unique techniques like frottage and decalcomania. His work reflects various themes, from surrealism to exile and empathy, with pieces like "Loplop Introduces Members of the Surrealist Group" and "Napoleon in the Wilderness," showcasing his artistic journey from microscopic worlds to celestial bodies.
Insights
- Max Ernst's diverse artistic mediums, including collages and paintings, often incorporate found imagery and inscriptions transformed through innovative techniques like frottage and decalcomania, creating whimsical and surreal compositions.
- Ernst's works, such as "Histoire Naturelle" and "Napoleon in the Wilderness," not only showcase his technical prowess but also reveal profound themes of exile, empathy, and a deep connection to both microscopic and celestial worlds, underscoring the complexity and depth of his artistic journey.
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Recent questions
Who is Max Ernst?
An artist born in Germany in 1891.
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Summary
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Max Ernst: Diverse Artistic Mediums Exhibition
- Max Ernst, born in 1891 in Germany, served in the German army during World War I and later founded Cologne Dada.
- The exhibition showcases 100 works from the Museum of Modern Art's collection, displaying Ernst's diverse artistic mediums like print portfolios, books, oil paintings, collages, and reliefs.
- Ernst's collages and over paintings often feature inscriptions and found imagery transformed through techniques like turning posters upside down, overpainting, and adding elements to create whimsical, circus-like scenes.
- Ernst's "Histoire Naturelle" portfolio from 1926 features 16 images created using frottage, a rubbing technique over found objects to generate unique textures and forms.
- "Loplop Introduces Members of the Surrealist Group" is a collage by Ernst featuring his alter ego, Loplop, and prominent surrealists, serving as an advertisement for the surrealist movement.
- Ernst's work "Napoleon in the Wilderness," completed in the United States in 1941, showcases the decalcomania technique, reflecting his feelings of exile and empathy, while his book "65 Maximiliana" pays homage to astronomer Wilhelm Ernst Tempel, linking Ernst's artistic journey from microscopic worlds to celestial bodies.
