Exploring Max Ernst's Surreal Collage Novels: Unveiling a World of Dreamlike Imagery
Max Ernst was born in Brühl, Germany, in 1891. His father introduced painting to Ernst at an early age. Ernst was forced to join the German Army artillery division in World War One. His exposure to the horrors of war deeply traumatised him, and he became highly critical of contemporary culture. These beliefs fuelled his perspective of the modern world as irrational, a concept that became the basis of his artwork, as evidenced by his characteristically absurd and interesting compositions. In 1919, Ernst produced some of his first collages. During this time, he also painted, sculpted and edited journals. His artwork merged dreams and fantasy and helped him heal his past trauma. He was a pioneer of the Surrealist and Dada movements and also influenced many artists, including Jackson Pollock, Eduardo Paolozzi and Jean Dubuffet. He died in Paris in 1976.
Image from: Rêve d'une petite fille qui voulut entrer au Carmel
Discovering Max Ernst's Collage Novels
Max Ernst created three major collage novels, which are considered significant contributions to surrealist art and literature:
Image from: La Femme 100 Têtes
La Femme 100 Têtes (The Hundred Headless Woman, 1929)
This is Ernst's first collage novel, comprised of 147 collages using 19th-century engravings. It features strange and dreamlike imagery accompanied by surreal captions. The title plays on a double entendre, meaning both "the hundred-headed woman" and "the headless woman." The book introduces Ernst's alter ego, Loplop, "the Bird Superior."
Image from: La Femme 100 Têtes
Rêve d'une petite fille qui voulut entrer au Carmel (A Little Girl Dreams of Taking the Veil, 1930)
This second collage novel continues his method of cutting and reassembling found engravings to create unsettling, narrative-like sequences, with deliberately pretentious captions.
Image from: Rêve d'une petite fille qui voulut entrer au Carmel
Une Semaine de bonté ou les sept éléments capitaux (A Week of Kindness or the Seven Deadly Elements, 1934)
Ernst's third and most ambitious collage novel comprises five parts, each corresponding to a day of the week. It features over 180 collages created from Victorian-era illustrations. The book is filled with bizarre, nightmarish images of hybrid creatures and surreal transformations, reflecting the darker side of human nature. Each part is structured around a 'theme' including mud, water, fire, blood, blackness, sight and the unknown.
Image from: A Week of Kindness or the Seven Deadly Elements
How Max Ernst Developed the Frottage and Grattage Techniques
In 1925, Ernst developed the Frottage technique. The name is derived from the French word frotter, which means 'to rub'. The process involves placing a sheet of paper over a textured surface and rubbing it with a drawing tool, such as a pencil or pastel, to create an impression of the surface. The resulting rubbing can stand alone as a completed work or a foundation for further artistic development. Ernst was inspired by the grain patterns of an old wooden floor, worn down by years of scrubbing. These natural patterns sparked his imagination, leading him to capture their strange and evocative forms by rubbing paper with a soft pencil.
Image from: La Femme 100 Têtes
Grattage is another surrealist painting technique invented by Max Ernst. For this process, layers of paint are scraped or rubbed off a canvas to reveal textures beneath. Ernst developed this method in the 1920s, inspired by his frottage experiments. Grattage first requires the canvas to be placed over textured surfaces, like wood or metal. Then, paint is layered thickly onto the canvas, and parts of the paint are scraped away with a palette knife, revealing unexpected patterns and shapes.
Image from: Rêve d'une petite fille qui voulut entrer au Carmel
Start Experimenting with Collage Today: Join Our Free Course (includes Materials!)
Max Ernst's collage novels not only showcase the boundless potential of surrealist art but also remind us of the power of creativity in reimagining the ordinary. His unique approach—cutting, rearranging, and transforming an array of imagery—opens up a world where imagination has no limits. Whether you're an artist or simply looking for a new creative outlet, collage is an accessible and liberating art form that invites experimentation. Why not try it yourself? Get started with our latest free course, 'Learn to Create Hauntingly Beautiful Memento Mori Art', which is ideal for artists of all experience levels, including beginners! Start small, have fun, and see where the process takes you!
