Max Ernst’s art in the late 1920s marked a profound shift in his creative approach, marked by the development of frottage, a technique born of the Surrealist practice of Automatism. Inspired by André Breton’s First Manifesto of Surrealism in 1924, Ernst used frottage—rubbing surfaces to create unexpected textures and forms—to unlock imagery from his subconscious. This technique found early expression in his ‘Natural History’ series of 1926, where he allowed shapes to emerge through chance and randomness, giving rise to surreal, organic forms. Ernst expanded this method further in his renowned ‘Forest’ series, a significant phase in his artistic evolution. The ‘Forest’ series, influenced by the Romantic landscapes of Caspar David Friedrich and others, was not merely an aesthetic choice for Ernst but an expression of a primal, enduring connection to nature. His forests are not just trees—they are mystic worlds, alive with the strange, the timeless, and the dreamlike.
