Ernst Cameo (Great Modern Masters) [Hardcover]

Jose Maria Faerna (Author)

Book Description

Series: Great Modern Masters | Publication Date: September 1, 1997

Known as the father of Surrealist painting and one of the major figures of the Dada movement, German artist Max Ernst (1891-1976) created haunting, mysterious, and sometimes whimsical images.

Inquisitive by nature, Ernst pushed the boundaries of artistic techniques such as collage and developed new ones, notably frottage, and drip painting. These experiments not only distinguished his work but also broadened the expressive capabilities for generations of artists, including the Abstract Expressionists. With more than 60 full-color illustrations and an engaging and accessible text, this book provides a solid introduction to Ernst's life, career, and otherworldly art.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

YA--Each of these volumes is arranged into three sections. First, the artist is introduced in the context of his time. The second part is a biographical sketch, accompanied by photographs of the artist. The third section consists of excellently reproduced, full-color photographs of the artist's work, with descriptive text and an overview of his career. Some of the works are not often seen, and are a feast for the eye. The clear grouping of information and the handsome layout, page design, and typography make these books appealing and accessible, even though they have no indexes. The texts are presented in a straightforward manner that is easy to understand. Suitable for research as well as for recreational reading.

Turid Teague, Fairfax County Public Library,

Copyright 1998 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

Language Notes

Text: English (translation)
Original Language: Spanish

Product Details

• Hardcover: 64 pages
• Publisher: Harry N. Abrams (September 1, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0810946963
• ISBN-13: 978-0810946965
• Product Dimensions: 12.4 x 9.8 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,786,658 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Viewer in the Dark, May 13, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Ernst Cameo (Great Modern Masters) (Hardcover)

Surrealism founder Andre Breton wondered if random creating could work in art as it had in poetry. His friend Max Ernst made the effort by drawing on experimentation with hypnosis and mind-altering drugs, his own studies in philosophy, his years as an Expressionist and then Dada artist, and influences from fellow Surrealist Giorgio de Chirico. ERNST's collages, decalcomania, drippings, frottages, and grattages personalized images from the conscious and the unconscious into an eerily mysterious, unexpected super reality different from the waking world and not so easy to understand. He went on to influence post-war Abstract Expressionists and Pop artists, as seen by reading Carter Ratcliff's THE FATE OF A GESTURE and by viewing "Pollock." I used to think that the Dali dream sequence in the film "Spellbound" was the best glimpse of what Surrealism was about, but editor Jose Maria Faerna also gives a clear, compact view. This well-illustrated and organized book, along with his DE CHIRICO, shows what happened after William Vaughan's GERMAN ROMANTIC PAINTING. It also pigeonholes Ernst's place in Robert Motherwell's THE DADA PAINTERS AND POETS, Herbert Edward Read's A CONCISE HISTORY OF MODERN PAINTING, Peter Howard Selz's GERMAN EXPRESSIONIST PAINTING, and Patrick Waldberg's SURREALISM.

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Spectateur au hasard, November 14, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Ernst Cameo (Great Modern Masters) (Hardcover)

Andre Breton s'interessait a la poesie creee au hasard. Ensuite son copain Max Ernst en faisait le meme dans l'art. Il representait, par des images creees au hasard, la super realite au-dela du quotidien. La dedans se melaient toutes les influences: de l'art dadaiste et expressioniste, des drogues, de l'hypnose, de la philosophie. Par son art - de collages, decalcomania, frottages, gouttages, grattages - il ouvrait la porte aux artistes de l'abstrait et du culture pop, de l'apres-guerre.