Homage To Max Ernst

The German painter and sculptor was one of the leading advocates of irrationality in art. By contrast, the majority of projects coming out of Lichtenstein’s studio are precise and calculated. That being said, Homage to Max Ernst sets out to embrace these paradoxes and dissimilarities. Akin to Lichtenstein’s Modern Head series from a few years prior, the print unites stylistic conventions abstracted from various modern movements. Present in this work are references to Cubism, Art Deco and Constructivism.

Ernst was a pioneer in surrealist collages, which is an artistic direction closely aligned with Lichtenstein’s idiom. Homage to Max Ernst conveys these shared principles through an interplay of dynamic and static forms. The main compositional element is a curving figure, enveloped in a spiral-like formation resembling the interior of a shell. The hovering abstracted form is situated in the middle of the canvas, set against a Greek column and a faux-wood backdrop. The figure is balancing one big and one small ball in each hand, representing the mutually playful nature of both Lichtenstein’s and Ernst’s ouvre.