Collages of Max Ernst exhibition in Madrid
ARTinvestment.RU   08 февраля 2009

11 February in Madrid Mapfre Foundation opens a unique exhibition brings together 182 collages by Max Ernst for the book «Week of Kindness» (Une Semaine de Bonté)

In 1934 in Paris, the novel was published in the collages «Week of Kindness» (Une Semaine de Bonté), a German Surrealism by Max Ernst (Max Ernst). This book - one of the most enigmatic works of Surrealism - consists of five parts.

The artist worked on it in 1933 for three weeks, during a visit with friends in Italy. Unlike the earlier collages, in which Max Ernst was generally new scenes from the set of individual pieces, for «Week of Kindness» he used the finished picture, which impose additional fragments. The basis for his work in ksilograficheskie served as illustrations of the French popular literature, which met in abundance in books and magazines in the late XIX century. The main themes of these works have been passionate love, suffering, crime, imprisonment and subsequent execution, the hatred and envy of the rich and the poor. Traveling to Italy Max Ernst went to the suitcase full of such illustrations. In order to achieve the desired effect, he overturned fragments pictures «upside down», put them in the «suspended» state or forced to rotate around its axis. C through a technique he created a lot of concern, mystical and mysterious way.

In «Week of Kindness» Max Ernst renounced pictures mortal sin. Instead, it has developed its own «the elements of death», the meaning of which is not always clearly defined. The first of them, «dirty», the author connects with the lion. Part «Sunday», which opens the series, those of most characters hidden behind lion mug. The second element can be described as quite traditional - it «water», which is present in all the collages «Monday». In the third part, «Tuesday», Ernst drawn to fire, an example which considers dragons (as well as snakes and bats). The fourth element in the list becomes the «blood», the symbol of which the author chooses Oedipus (perhaps because he had committed incest by marrying on their own mother). As a part of it devoted to «Wednesday» main actors are depicted with bird heads. In the last part of merged three more days a week. A key element of «Thursday» - «black», which the artist associates with «laughter Rooster» and «Easter Island». Here there are roosters, cocks, and characters with their heads, and people with those stone statues remote Pacific island. Part of on «Friday», perhaps, is the most abstract. Her element, «vision» is embodied in the so-called. «Three visual poems». The series «Saturday» element «unknown», as exemplified by the author refers to as «The key to the songs». With regard to its visual embodiment, they are falling figures.

To book «Week of Kindness» Max Ernst collage created just 182, the originals of which for the first time since 1936, will be merged into a common display. It opens Feb. 11 in Madrid in the fund Mapfre, and will operate until 31 May. This unique exhibition has been prepared in cooperation with the Vienna Albertina Museum and the Museum of Max Ernst in the city Брюль. Great assistance in its preparation had a connoisseur of art and other artists Shpis Werner (Werner Spies).

material produced Catherine Onuchin

Source: artdaily.com , all-art.org , artinvestment.ru