Maiden's Dream of a Lake
少女が見た湖の夢
- Birth Year
- 1891
- Death Year
- 1976
- Date
- 1940
- Technique, Material, Format
- oil on canvas
- Dimension
- 66.2 x 82.7 cm
- Category
- Oil or Other Painting by Foreign Artist
- Inventory Number
- 85-OF-002
TAKE A CLOSER LOOK: Maiden's Dream of a Lake by Max Ernst (video / March 2023) This unique video series deliberately includes no commentary, allowing you unimpeded enjoyment of artworks from the Yokohama Museum of Art collection in detail-rich close-up and from new angles.
As dusk approaches in the sky, a jumble of mud, rocks, plants, the heads of various animals and birds, and human bodies emerge from complexes on both sides of a still lake. The shadows reflected on the surface of the water seem different to the landscape on the opposing bank. A deep darkness already dominates the water, and seems on the cusp of spreading over the land as well. This painting is based on a technique called decalcomania. A dab of oil paint is applied to a canvas, and while it’s still wet, a sheet of paper is pressed against it and peeled off to make a pattern. On viewing the pattern, the artist is reminded of a particular image, which they then elaborate using a brush. The method was used by Max Ernst and his painter friend Hans Bellmer while they were interned in France as citizens of an enemy country (Germany) during the early days of World War II.
(NAKAMURA Naoaki)