Max Ernst- Frottage

Creativity is that marvelous capacity to grasp mutually distinct realities and draw a spark from their juxtaposition. ”

- Max Ernst

German born artist Max Ernst was a provocator, his shicking and innovative artwork creared a new wave of exciting work which had influcened many artist for decade. Ernst was a solider in WW1, he was condemned by the Nazis for his extragvaate artwork and was imprionsed in a prisoner of war camp. He escaped and fled in the US. In 1937, Hitler was able to gather as much as 16,000 avant-garde artworks that were originally in display in the national museums of Germany. He also ordered to ship about 650 artworks to Munich in preparation for his art exhibition called the Degenerate Art or Degenerate Kunst. Ernst had about 2 paintings that were on display. However, these 2 artworks were reported to have disappeared, with the possibility of have been destroyed. This traumated experience change Erns visions and perception of the world, seeing how cruel and irrational it really is, influencing many of his later pieces.

Fig 1- Max Ernst- EUROPA NACH DEM REGEN (Europe after the rain)

Another one of his techniques is called ‘grattage’ which involves placing an object under a piece of paper, which is then covered with a thin layer of pigment. By scraping away at the pigment it reveals a colourful imprint of the object and its texture. This csn be seen alongside is frottage technique in his painting ‘Snow Flowers’ (1929).

Fig 1- Max Ernst- Snow Flowers 1929

In the late 19^th century Ernst began to use a technique called frontage  which translates to rubbing. This technique was influenced by an ancient wooded floor, where the grain of the panels had been accentuated by many years of scrubbing it. From 1925 he captured this texture with charcoal and graphite, by placing a piece of paper over the top which was thin enough to mimic the texture. He then went on to publish these drawings in 1926 in the collection entitles ‘Histoire Naturelle’ Natural History.

Fig 3- Max Ernst: Forest and Sun, 1931, graphite frottage on paper

Fig 3- Max Ernst- The Entire City 1934

In response to Max Ernst work with frontage I decides to find my own texture. Using a wax crayon I collected impressions from multiple textures, I found that the surfaces with subtle, flat textures worked the best. I used things like wallpaper, letter press textures, floors, wood, brick walls, and generally anything that was textured. Below are the textures I collected. 

I then scanned these textures into photoshop, and began editing. For some if the textures I separated the markings from the background, changed the colour of them and then placed a flat colour behind the image. For the others I simply changed the hue and saturation. I chose to stick to a cool colour scheme, but adding shades of indigo, green, and purple, for further interest. The patterns reminded me of the shapes you would find in a city, for for this task using these textures created a futuristic city concept. I changed the scale and opacity of some of the shapes, to create a sort of perspective.

I thought that this pieces was missing something, so I tried to create a sort of reflection. I repeated the image i had created, reversed it and rotated, so it was upside down, and dulled down the saturation. However, I didn't think this was that effected, so in the end I simple created a light coloured background, by stretching out one of my textures and layering it behind the blocks. I think the was probably the most effective method, it doesn't distract you from the main image, but i still like the idea of creating a reflecting city, a concept I may return to in the future. 

Created using Photoshop CC 2017

Image References

• Fig 1- Thewanderlife.com. (2016). Sedona, ARIZONA - Max Ernst's imagined landscapes | The Wander Life. [online] Available at: http://thewanderlife.com/sedona-arizona-imagined-landscapes/ [Accessed 3 Dec. 2016].
• Fig 2- Artsy.net. (2016). Max Ernst | Fleurs de neige (Snow Flowers) (1929) | Artsy. [online] Available at: https://www.artsy.net/artwork/max-ernst-fleurs-de-neige-snow-flowers [Accessed 3 Dec. 2016].
• Fig 3-Carpetmoss.files.wordpress.com. (2016). Cite a Website - Cite This For Me. [online] Available at: https://carpetmoss.files.wordpress.com/2011/03/forest-and-sun-1931-graphite-frottage-on-paper.jpg [Accessed 3 Dec. 2016].
• Fig 4-  Tate.org.uk. (2016). Frottage. [online] Available at: http://www.tate.org.uk/learn/online-resources/glossary/f/frottage [Accessed 3 Dec. 2016].

Bibliography

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• Artsy.net. (2016). Max Ernst | Fleurs de neige (Snow Flowers) (1929) | Artsy. [online] Available at: https://www.artsy.net/artwork/max-ernst-fleurs-de-neige-snow-flowers [Accessed 3 Dec. 2016].
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• Max-ernst.com. (2016). City with Animal, 1919 - by Max Ernst. [online] Available at: http://www.max-ernst.com/city-with-animals.jsp [Accessed 3 Dec. 2016].
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• Tate.org.uk. (2016). Frottage. [online] Available at: http://www.tate.org.uk/learn/online-
• Thewanderlife.com. (2016). Sedona, ARIZONA - Max Ernst's imagined landscapes | The Wander Life. [online] Available at: http://thewanderlife.com/sedona-arizona-imagined-landscapes/ [Accessed 3 Dec. 2016].