Dimensions: support: 1003 x 813 mm frame: 1200 x 1012 x 66 mm
Copyright: © ADAGP, Paris and DACS, London 2014 | CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 DEED, Photo: Tate
Curator: This is Max Ernst's "Forest and Dove," currently held in the Tate Collections. Editor: The painting is quite striking, almost oppressive. The heavy, dark forest looms over a small, caged bird, evoking a sense of confinement. Curator: Ernst often used such imagery to explore themes of war and personal trauma, particularly his experiences during the World Wars. The forest, a recurring motif, symbolizes the dark, unconscious forces at play. Editor: The texture is fascinating. The way Ernst applied the paint creates this almost tactile sense of bark and roughage. The dove, rendered so simply, is a stark contrast to the complexity surrounding it. Curator: Precisely. Consider the socio-political climate post-WWI, the rise of fascism—Ernst, along with other artists, sought to express the anxieties and disillusionment of the time. Editor: The starkness of the bird against the oppressive dark is compelling. It's a poignant symbol that creates a visual tension that remains long after you've turned away. Curator: Indeed, and reflecting on Ernst's life and the historical context, we can appreciate its continued power.
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Forests appear frequently in Ernst’s works and recall his feelings of the ‘enchantment and terror’ of the woods near his childhood home. Forests are a potent symbol in German tradition, and were also adopted by the Surrealist group as a metaphor for the imagination. In this work, a small dove, which Ernst liked to use as a symbol to represent himself, is trapped among menacing trees. The shapes are created using a technique he called ‘grattage’, in which paint is scraped across the canvas to reveal the imprint of objects placed beneath. Gallery label, September 2013
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