Marlene (Max Ernst)
| Marlene (mother and son) |
|---|
| Max Ernst , 1940/41 |
| Oil on canvas |
| 23.8 x 19.5 cm |
|
Menil Collection , Houston
Link to the picture |
Marlene (Mother and Son) , English Marlene (Mother and Son) , is an oil painting by Max Ernst from his surrealist phase, created in 1940/41 . It is currently part of the Menil Collection in Houston .
Description and interpretation
The picture Marlene , painted in oil on canvas using the technique Décalcomanie further developed by Max Ernst, shows a dominant female figure striding to the left, who probably gave the work its name as an emigration picture due to its resemblance to the German-born actress Marlene Dietrich . The actress had last visited Germany in 1937 and took American citizenship in 1939; the artist had emigrated from southern France to the United States in 1941 . Marlene was born in Europe.
The figure Marlene seems to be on a journey and to leave a Mediterranean-looking landscape under a bright blue sky, represented by a column towering up on the right of the picture and a hilly landscape with cypress trees at the bottom of the picture. She is accompanied by four small bird creatures, a fifth clings to the column. Marlene's head, painted in half profile with downcast eyes, is covered by reddish piled hair or a hood. Her right hand is angled in front of her stomach, the left grips the wing of a bird-like creature with breasts, an almost human face and a beak, which could represent the artist's alter ego , the bird Loplop. Her robe consists of reddish, sponge-like structures that leave her breasts, left shoulder and thighs uncovered. In the lower area of the picture the three other bird creatures resemble a parrot, an owl and a rooster. Marlene's hair and robe as well as the bird's plumage were made with the technique of decalcomania, recognizable by the spongy, mossy structures.
In 1940, Max Ernst also began to create a work in the technique of Décalcomanie, Europe after the Rain II , which visionarily depicts the devastation of Europe by the Second World War . He completed it in exile in 1942 .
literature
- Ulrich Bischoff : Max Ernst 1891–1976. Beyond painting . Taschen, Cologne 1988, ISBN 3-8228-0244-1 ; New edition 2009 ISBN 978-3-8228-6594-1
Web links
- Surreal Genius: Max Ernst . In: Houston Press , Nov. 13, 2008