Frank Gehry
Canadian-American architect
Max Ernst was a pioneering German-American-French artist who helped shape the Dada and Surrealist movements. He was known for his experimental techniques like frottage and grattage, as well as his unique collage-based works. Despite having no formal artistic training, Ernst’s innovative approach to art left a lasting impact on the 20th century art world.
Table of Contents
Occupation
Family Info
Siblings
Loni Pretzell
Spouses
Peggy Guggenheim
Luise Straus-Ernst
Dorothea Tanning
Marie-Berthe Aurenche
Children
Jimmy Ernst
About the Max Ernst
Max Ernstwas a Germanpainter, sculptor, printmaker, graphic artist, and poet. A prolific artist, Ernst was a primary pioneer of the Dada movement and Surrealism in Europe. He had no formal artistic training, but his experimental attitude toward the making of art resulted in his invention of frottage–a technique that uses pencil rubbings of textured objects and relief surfaces to create images–and grattage, an analogous technique in which paint is scraped across canvas to reveal the imprints of the objects placed beneath. Ernst is noted for his unconventional drawing methods as well as for creating novels and pamphlets using the method of collages. He served as a soldier for four years during World War I, and this experience left him shocked, traumatised and critical of the modern world. During World War II he was designated an “undesirable foreigner” while living in France.
Ernst was born in Bruhl. He began painting in 1909 while studying at the University of Bonn, and later joined the Die Rheinischen Expressionisten group of artists. Ernst’s work often featured ironic juxtapositions of grotesque elements with Cubist and Expressionist motifs. He had a fascination with birds, often including his alter ego, Loplop, a bird, in his work. He eventually settled in France and achieved financial success in the 1950s. He died in Paris on 1 April 1976.
Frequently Asked Questions
Frottage is a technique that uses pencil rubbings of textured objects and relief surfaces to create images. Ernst pioneered this experimental method as part of his innovative approach to art-making.
Ernst’s experience serving as a soldier for four years during World War I left him shocked, traumatized, and critical of the modern world, which is reflected in the unconventional and often surreal elements of his artwork.
Ernst often included his alter ego, Loplop, a bird, in his work, showcasing his fascination with avian imagery and symbolism.
Max Ernst became a naturalized American in 1948 and a French citizen in 1958.
Ernst’s experimental attitude toward art-making led him to invent techniques like frottage, which uses pencil rubbings of textured objects, and grattage, in which paint is scraped across canvas to reveal imprints of objects placed beneath.
Max Ernst was born in Brühl, Germany, and began painting in 1909 while studying at the University of Bonn. He later joined the Die Rheinischen Expressionisten group of artists, which influenced the development of his unique artistic style.
Ernst’s artwork was known for its unconventional and often surreal combinations of grotesque elements with Cubist and Expressionist influences, resulting in a highly distinctive visual style.