Tree of Life
Max Ernst
French, born Germany, 1891–1976

Details
Title
Tree of Life
Artist/Maker
Max Ernst (French, born Germany, 1891–1976)
Date
1928
Medium
Oil on canvas
Dimensions
114 x 82 3/4 inches
Credit
Purchase with funds from Alfred Austell Thornton in memory of Leila Austell Thornton and Albert Edward Thornton, Sr., and Sarah Miller Venable and William Hoyt Venable
Accession #
1983.92
In Tree of Life, Max Ernst depicted a dream-like underwater world inhabited by strange hybrid creatures. Like his fellow Surrealists, Ernst challenged traditional artistic values by tapping the irrational, inner world of dreams and the unconscious mind. To do so, he often juxtaposed seemingly unrelated objects. Ernst loved birds and frequently included them in his paintings as symbols of pleasure. Snakes, on the other hand, represented horror. The serpent with a bird’s head in the center of this painting thus evokes the curious connection between pleasure and horror.
Image Copyright
© Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York/ADAGP, Paris
More from this Artist
Browse Related Artwork

Thornton Dial, Sr.

Carolyn Drake

Unidentified Artist

Nellie Mae Rowe

George McNeil

Frank Henderson

Henry Thomas Alken Sr.

Louis Monza

El Anatsui

Henry Thomas Alken Sr.

Henry Thomas Alken Sr.

Louis Monza