MAX ERNST (1891-1976)
Untitled, 1939
Lithograph printed on Chine collé over Vélin paper
10 x 7 3/4 inches; 25 1/2 x 20 cm (sheet)
Artist's proof, aside from the numbered edition of 105
Conceived 1939, published 1973
Conceived 1939, published 1973
Signed 'max ernst' and annotated 'e.a.' in pencil
Plate two from the series of six
$950.00
The figure in this composition appears to be in disguise, wearing the skin of a plant or a tree, the face abstracted into three tubes. Both hands point to the sky in a gesture that suggests forewarning.
This lithograph is from the set Le Parquet se soulève [The floor is rising], a collaboration with poet Jean Tardieu. The set presents six compositions with figures in distorted, ominous compositions that foretell the impending affect of the Second World War. Circumstances during the war prevented the publication of the edition until 1973.
The method for printing this lithograph involved the simultaneous impression of the lithographic stone upon the Chin collé paper, as this sheet was itself adhered to the larger woven paper, this printing technique was used extensively by artists in the early 20th century.