"The promise of salvation." "Those monsters were always painted within the context of punishment and redemption and therefore they were moralised monsters at the same time."
What are u trying to say? In his paintings before he fled to the US in WW2, perhaps one could interpret the painted monsters as u describe, though I think it's clear that Ernst rejected such views. He was from a young age very opposed to Christian religion & beliefs, which is apparent in his work. Some of his most well known paintings are those from the period leading up to WW2 & those during the war, & his overt message was a warning about Nazi horrors. He was outspoken against fascism & once the Nazis came to power in Germany, he was designated an enemy of the state & was forced to flee. After he came to live in Sedona, AZ, during the war, he began doing paintings that were very different. Seldom mentioned, much less interpreted in any depth, is the extensive influence of pre-Col. Mexican art & of traditional art of the Southwestern native peoples on Ernst's thought & work. Unlike most European artists who incorporated (Am.) Indian art into their work, Ernst understood the deeper meanings of this art. Unlike Picasso's use of Af. tribal art for merely visual (& shock) effect & of Moore's use of pre-Col. sculpture for purely stylistic reasons, Ernst did not merely incorporate the style of pre-Col. art into his own work. Rather, he was very influenced by the deeper meanings within pre-Col. art, & these deeper meanings are apparent in much of Ernst's work in the later '40s & into the '50s. Ernst's paintings then began to reveal his deeper connections with "Nature", his views of all life on earth as interconnected & equally alive. This connection with "Nature" had always been present in his work, but the influence of pre-Col. & traditional (Am.) Indian art of the SW became very strong after his move to the US. This later work doesn't incorporate the styles of pre-Col. or Native art. Rather it reveals deeper views of "Nature", of the interconnectedness of all life on earth. In his paintings from this later period, the feeling of doom & destruction is gone & the depth & beauty of earthly life is revealed. In some paintings, a landscape is shown that is made up of the various animals who are part of that land. (I'm thinking of a painting from the '50s which shows a red landscape which is composed of mammals, a painting shown in the '72 exhibit of his work at Rice Univ., from the DeMeniel collection. This painting is typical of his work from that period. There are no monsters here, no warnings, but rather an encompassing view of the Earth & all Earth's living parts in harmony.
If u want to know more about what Ernst thought, there are many writings of his in print. And they are much more interesting than most of what critics have to say. Although Ernst was a great artist, he was also quite literary from a young age & created some fascinating written works. BTW, his paintings underwent a great change after he escaped Europe & settled in Sedona, AZ. during WW2. His work had always been deeply connected with nature in a way not usually found in European art, but his time in America had a very deep effect which is usually not identified by critics & historians. He had greatly admired native Am. art before coming to the US, but when he came to live in AZ & to spend time in Mexico, he was able to see pre-Col. art & the continuing traditional art of the Southwestern peoples. Unlike many European & Euro-Am. artists of the 20th c., who adopted pre-Col. styles but not the deeper meanings of pre-Col. art, Ernst understood pre-Col. art & incorporated the deeper meanings into his own work. This can be found in much of his art from the later '40s on. In many of his paintings from the '50s, one sees the landscapes as entirely alive, with every part of the land as living forms. This view of the earth, of plants & animals as integral living parts of the earth, of all parts of life interconnected & interacting, was a dominant view found among native peoples of N. Am. (& still found among surviving traditional native peoples). Ernst had shown a similar view of "Nature" in works before WW2, a sort of pre-Christian Germanic view, but his views of nature became much more complex after his move to Sedona & his visits to Mexico.
They dont have artists like this anymore pure genius.like he said at the end to become a revolutionary painter.
"Imagination is crucial to the revolution."
"The Petrified Forest." - Many of the images are quite ironic.
"Figures are more indicated than fully described."
Fabulous Art with ideas omg Max Ernst is one of the greatest, thanks for showing.
The best way to experience Max Ernst is to have a few pints, look at his stuff, then go home and think about it.
Love him for this reason.
"The promise of salvation." "Those monsters were always painted within the context of punishment and redemption and therefore they were moralised monsters at the same time."
What are u trying to say? In his paintings before he fled to the US in WW2, perhaps one could interpret the painted monsters as u describe, though I think it's clear that Ernst rejected such views. He was from a young age very opposed to Christian religion & beliefs, which is apparent in his work.
Some of his most well known paintings are those from the period leading up to WW2 & those during the war, & his overt message was a warning about Nazi horrors. He was outspoken against fascism & once the Nazis came to power in Germany, he was designated an enemy of the state & was forced to flee.
After he came to live in Sedona, AZ, during the war, he began doing paintings that were very different. Seldom mentioned, much less interpreted in any depth, is the extensive influence of pre-Col. Mexican art & of traditional art of the Southwestern native peoples on Ernst's thought & work. Unlike most European artists who incorporated (Am.) Indian art into their work, Ernst understood the deeper meanings of this art. Unlike Picasso's use of Af. tribal art for merely visual (& shock) effect & of Moore's use of pre-Col. sculpture for purely stylistic reasons, Ernst did not merely incorporate the style of pre-Col. art into his own work. Rather, he was very influenced by the deeper meanings within pre-Col. art, & these deeper meanings are apparent in much of Ernst's work in the later '40s & into the '50s. Ernst's paintings then began to reveal his deeper connections with "Nature", his views of all life on earth as interconnected & equally alive. This connection with "Nature" had always been present in his work, but the influence of pre-Col. & traditional (Am.) Indian art of the SW became very strong after his move to the US.
This later work doesn't incorporate the styles of pre-Col. or Native art. Rather it reveals deeper views of "Nature", of the interconnectedness of all life on earth.
In his paintings from this later period, the feeling of doom & destruction is gone & the depth & beauty of earthly life is revealed. In some paintings, a landscape is shown that is made up of the various animals who are part of that land. (I'm thinking of a painting from the '50s which shows a red landscape which is composed of mammals, a painting shown in the '72 exhibit of his work at Rice Univ., from the DeMeniel collection. This painting is typical of his work from that period. There are no monsters here, no warnings, but rather an encompassing view of the Earth & all Earth's living parts in harmony.
Great upload! Thanks!
critics are like newsreaders and experts ..every day a different face uttering an opinion
Is that Darren brown talking
Excuse me lady, but the peak of bombardments was in 1944, not in 1942..
( As always, the artists paint, the "experts" talks... )
If u want to know more about what Ernst thought, there are many writings of his in print. And they are much more interesting than most of what critics have to say. Although Ernst was a great artist, he was also quite literary from a young age & created some fascinating written works.
BTW, his paintings underwent a great change after he escaped Europe & settled in Sedona, AZ. during WW2. His work had always been deeply connected with nature in a way not usually found in European art, but his time in America had a very deep effect which is usually not identified by critics & historians. He had greatly admired native Am. art before coming to the US, but when he came to live in AZ & to spend time in Mexico, he was able to see pre-Col. art & the continuing traditional art of the Southwestern peoples.
Unlike many European & Euro-Am. artists of the 20th c., who adopted pre-Col. styles but not the deeper meanings of pre-Col. art, Ernst understood pre-Col. art & incorporated the deeper meanings into his own work. This can be found in much of his art from the later '40s on. In many of his paintings from the '50s, one sees the landscapes as entirely alive, with every part of the land as living forms. This view of the earth, of plants & animals as integral living parts of the earth, of all parts of life interconnected & interacting, was a dominant view found among native peoples of N. Am. (& still found among surviving traditional native peoples). Ernst had shown a similar view of "Nature" in works before WW2, a sort of pre-Christian Germanic view, but his views of nature became much more complex after his move to Sedona & his visits to Mexico.
Arte arte arte (Y)