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Lot Essay
Painted in 1928, Fleur-coquille is an intriguing yet delicate landscape painting by Max Ernst. The techniques and thought processes behind this painting are some that Ernst began experimenting with three years prior. As Werner Spies has noted, in 1925, the artist signed a contract with Jacques Viot, a French novelist involved in the Surrealist Movement. From there, he opened his first studio in Rue Tourlaque in Montmarte. Ernst was now able to focus full time on developing and flourishing his art work. One innovation that has partly defined Ernst’s career, was his creation of frottage. On a holiday in 1925, “Ernst, was first inspired to explore the possibilities of frottage by the look of the grooves in the well-scrubbed floor of his hotel room at the seashore in Pornic. Attracted by the open structure of the grain, he rubbed it, using paper and pencil, then reinterpreted the results” (W. Spies and S. Rewald, Max Ernst, A Retrospective, exh. cat., The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, 2005, p. 12). By placing a sheet of paper over the desired surface, Ernst realized one could easily transfer any design they wanted right into their art. One of Ernst’s most notable works to emerge from mastering this technique is Histoire Naturale, a series of six collages from 1925, where the texture of the wood floor he was so inspired by is present.
Later on, Ernst developed his use of frottage into his oil paintings by using grattage. With this method, the desired object is placed beneath a canvas, which is in turn covered in a thin layer of paint then scraped away with a palette knife or spatula. Ernst’s use of this painterly method can be successfully seen in the present work. Fleur-coquille directly translates from French to “shell-flower”. Ernst has manipulated his grattage technique here to create an organic, white structure, containing rigids and line work resembling the unique patterns of a seashell. Yet at the same time, the artist has created layers to the shell, which almost embody those of a flower’s petals. The curving, amorphous form then jumps out against the opaque red and black background.
The shell-flowers is a theme that repeats itself for Ernst in the 1920s. As Ludger Derenthal writes, "The shell-flowers first appear in twos and in small groups; later entire nocturnal gardens would be planted. At this point, one should remember the paintings of botanical studies of the Dada period, where plants were also isolated and placed over a low horizon. [...] The Shell-flowers are delicately and attractively coloured. The painter replaces the collagist. Max Ernst follows the traditions of James Ensor and Odilon Redon, who also occasionally transformed shells into flowers. It is a brilliant technique which explores the painterly value of both subjects" (Max Ernst, Paris, 1992, p. 124).
Later on, Ernst developed his use of frottage into his oil paintings by using grattage. With this method, the desired object is placed beneath a canvas, which is in turn covered in a thin layer of paint then scraped away with a palette knife or spatula. Ernst’s use of this painterly method can be successfully seen in the present work. Fleur-coquille directly translates from French to “shell-flower”. Ernst has manipulated his grattage technique here to create an organic, white structure, containing rigids and line work resembling the unique patterns of a seashell. Yet at the same time, the artist has created layers to the shell, which almost embody those of a flower’s petals. The curving, amorphous form then jumps out against the opaque red and black background.
The shell-flowers is a theme that repeats itself for Ernst in the 1920s. As Ludger Derenthal writes, "The shell-flowers first appear in twos and in small groups; later entire nocturnal gardens would be planted. At this point, one should remember the paintings of botanical studies of the Dada period, where plants were also isolated and placed over a low horizon. [...] The Shell-flowers are delicately and attractively coloured. The painter replaces the collagist. Max Ernst follows the traditions of James Ensor and Odilon Redon, who also occasionally transformed shells into flowers. It is a brilliant technique which explores the painterly value of both subjects" (Max Ernst, Paris, 1992, p. 124).