Ernst

Author: Zeng Changsheng
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-11-01
Features: Among all artists associated with surrealism, Max Ernst is one of the most independent-minded. Born in Germany, he early participated in the Dada movement and the Surrealist movement. In the 1920s, he became active in Paris. During World War II, he fled to the Americas for refuge and influenced the development of the New Art movement in the United States. His creations employ automatic writing techniques (such as collage, frottage, scraping, stenciling, dripping, and montage) and reference the contradictions found in both living and non-living things, as well as his unique fantastical scenarios. By combining and arranging forms and themes, he produced complex works that are difficult to interpret through traditional analytical methods. He sought to replace painting with such diverse processes, ultimately becoming a pioneering artist who influenced many later generations to create works based on concepts and processes. On April 1, 1976, he passed away at the age of 85, just before his birthday. Throughout his life, Ernst revitalized Germany's eerie legends in modern times through hallucinatory art, creating a world of fantasy and mythology that holds an important position in 20th-century art.