Forest and Dove
Encyclopedia
Forest and Dove is a painting by the German
surrealist
Max Ernst
. It depicts a nocturnal scene of a forest of bizarre, abstract trees. In the thick of the forest is a child-like depiction of a dove.
Both the forest and dove themes have appeared several times in Ernst’s works. According to an analysis by the Tate Gallery
in London
the forest image represents the forest near Ernst’s childhood home which inspired a sense of ‘enchantment and terror’ in the artist. The same analysis also states that the dove represents Ernst himself.
This painting has a heavily textured and three-dimensional appearance. This is owed to a technique called grattage. Grattage was invented by Ernst and the Spanish
surrealist Joan Miró
. This technique involves scraping the paint across the canvas so that the paint takes on the imprints of objects placed beneath the canvas.
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
surrealist
Surrealism
Surrealism is a cultural movement that began in the early 1920s, and is best known for the visual artworks and writings of the group members....
Max Ernst
Max Ernst
Max Ernst was a German painter, sculptor, graphic artist, and poet. A prolific artist, Ernst was one of the primary pioneers of the Dada movement and Surrealism.-Early life:...
. It depicts a nocturnal scene of a forest of bizarre, abstract trees. In the thick of the forest is a child-like depiction of a dove.
Both the forest and dove themes have appeared several times in Ernst’s works. According to an analysis by the Tate Gallery
Tate Gallery
The Tate is an institution that houses the United Kingdom's national collection of British Art, and International Modern and Contemporary Art...
in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
the forest image represents the forest near Ernst’s childhood home which inspired a sense of ‘enchantment and terror’ in the artist. The same analysis also states that the dove represents Ernst himself.
This painting has a heavily textured and three-dimensional appearance. This is owed to a technique called grattage. Grattage was invented by Ernst and the Spanish
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
surrealist Joan Miró
Joan Miró
Joan Miró i Ferrà was a Spanish Catalan painter, sculptor, and ceramicist born in Barcelona.Earning international acclaim, his work has been interpreted as Surrealism, a sandbox for the subconscious mind, a re-creation of the childlike, and a manifestation of Catalan pride...
. This technique involves scraping the paint across the canvas so that the paint takes on the imprints of objects placed beneath the canvas.