T h o m a s Roske
Max Ernst's Encounter with Artistry of the Mentally III
Max Ernst brought Prinzhorn's book Artistry of the Mentally 111 to Paris already in 1922, the year of its publication.' It was a present for his host Paul Eluard, who had assisted him in entering France with his passport, enabling his illegal presence in the country. The publication then came to occupy many artists around Breton, but surely none as strongly as Ernst himself.
He was one of the few in Paris who could read German, and he had been fascinated by this area for quite some time. At the start of his studies in Bonn from 1910-1914, where he increasingly concentrated on philosophy, philol
ogy, and art history, he also attended psychiatric lectures held for students from all departments.
They were held at the Konigliche Universitatsk
linik f u r Psychische u n d Nervenkranke, which was founded in 1908 on the grounds of the Provinzial Heil u n d Pflegeanstalt in northern Bonn.2The lecture series was probably intended to improve psychiatry's reputation;3 it was most likely for the same reason that some asylum directors at the time were beginning to invite artists to come and sketch their patients.4
In his autobiographical notes, Ernst writes that the students at the Bonn institution could also participate in "practical jobs."5 Perhaps he thus encountered in one of the buildings the "aston
ishing collection of sculptures and paintings"
by asylum inmates, which "strongly touched and troubled the young man," "especially some figures kneaded from bread."6He tried to find
"streaks of genius in them," and decided "to explore fully those vague and dangerous lands confined by madness." But only "much later" he
"discovered certain processes which helped him venture into these noman's lands."7
Ernst even wanted to write a book on the subject.8 Supposedly he only abandoned the plan with the appearance of Prinzhorn's study.9 That
A b b . I j i g . 2 M a x Ernst
L ' l m b e c i l l e | Der S c h w a c h s i n n i g e | The Imbecile 1961, C i p s ,
K u n s t s a m m l u n g N o r d r h e i n - W e s f a l e n , D u s s e l d o r f
I f
his fascination for "insane art" continued can be seen not least in the later acquisition of such books which he for example lent to the New York e x h i b i t i o n s Art of this Century and First Papers of Surrealism (both in 1942).10 They are no longer extant, like the Bonn collection." Is it still possi
ble to show with what works Ernst dared to enter this "no man's land", inspired by asylum art?'2
"Miracle Shepherd" and "Demon"
That Prinzhorn's book had an influence on Ernst has been claimed since Werner Spies sought to establish this influence in two works by the surrealist: a collage from the year 1931 that Ernst reproduced in various contexts with the title Oedipe (fig. 1 and cat. 14), as well as the bronze sculpture Der Schwachsinnige (The Imbe
cile) from 1961 (fig. 2).
Originalveröffentlichung in: Röske, Thomas (Hrsg.): Surrealismus und Wahnsinn / Surrealism and madness [Ausstellungskatalog], Heidelberg 2009, S. 54-66
T h o m a s R o s k e M a x Ernst's Encounter with Artistry of the Mentally III
For to the collage, which combines parts of a reproduction of the ancient Thorn Remover with a winged woman's torso and a lion head, Werner Spies claimed "morphological rela
tions" to the watercolour drawing Miracle Shepherd (cat. 19111913) by August Natterer, whom Prinzhorn called Neter (cat. 13). "The silhouettelike rigidity, sitting in mid air, the animal on the lap (?) of the figure, and the lion's head in the hand of the 'Oedipe', with strongly emphasized legs and feet."" Stefanie Poley pointed out in 1980 that the two figures are both without bodies, "that the animal is brought to an close relationship to the figure," and that Ernst's figure of 1937 also appears before a dark (blue) backdrop. In her eyes, Ernst even created in Oedipe a "symbol" that is "just as 'schizo
phrenic' as the representation by the schizo
phrenic artist."'4 The relationship to the Miracle Shepherd becomes all the more m e a n i n g f u l if, like Spies, we see the collage as an "encoded selfportrait",'5and declare it "programmatic for Max Ernst's entire oeuvre."'5
Spies declares Ernst's sculpture The Imbecile
"obviously [...] inspired" by the wood sculpture Devil (before 1920) by Karl Genzel (fig. 3), and reads the title of the former work as an allusion to the asylum inmate.'7Others have accepted this view, but Jiirgen Pech has suggested that The Imbecile is "not a mentally ill person, but a priest," "possessed by two small figures who in their different postures could be seen as a devout and a free soul." The reference to Gen
zel's work, according to him, allows us to see a devil in the priest. He interprets the "para
phrase" (Poley)'8 as part of an encoded message:
"Max Ernst plays with formal similarity to indi
rectly create a system of explanations."'9
Other authors have sought to find more motifs from the Prinzhorn collection in Ernst's
work. For example, Stephen Prokopoff found sculptures by Genzel to be models for the sculptures Habakuk (ca. 1934) and MondsUchtig (1944).20 And Roger Cardinal suggested that Ernst's collage novels reminded him of both the visual stories by Gustav Sievers2' and the
"uncanny military scenes" by Oscar Voll (cat. 74 and 75). At the same time, he concluded Ernst's works reflected "in general the view of the out
sider" and only rarely quoted literally.22
But in fact, the "literal" links of Oedipe and The Imbecile to Natterer and Genzel could speak against the postulated profound influence of asylum art on Ernst. For the similarities focused on are so striking that they seem like arbitrary, coincidental quotations. They alone hardly jus
tify the emphatic formulation of the artist that he "ventured into these noman's lands" beyond the limits of madness. Where can the general
"view of the outsider" be found in Ernst? His reference to the later discovery of "certain proc
esses" provides a starting point. It has up until now been used to refer to certain techniques, like frottage and grattage, that enable the tempo
rary suspension of conscious control in artistic creation.2' But it also could refer to Prinzhorn's discussion of Natterer in Artistry of the Mentally III.
Prinzhorn's Confusion by Natterer
August Natterer has a special place in Prinzhorn's book (as "August Neter"). He is one of ten "schizophrenic masters" to each of whom the author dedicates an entire section.
As always, a brief description of the patient's biography and pathology is followed by an exten
sive discussion of the works. Here, Prinzhorn allows the artist in a "significant body of text"24
T h o m a s Roske Max Ernst's Encounter with Artistry of the Mentally III
to speak for himself, quotes from his own writ
ings and an interview. And while he otherwise emphasizes the works' aesthetic quality and makes parallels to high art, when it comes to Natterer he states that the "rational as well as aesthetic" path that normally would allow "us to find our way into schizophrenic imaginative complexes [...] are blocked." T h u s the beholder is here forced "to confront the specifically schizo
phrenic emotion [...] helplessly".25
The Natterer chapter leads to this admission of helplessness.26Prinzhorn presents ever more complex drawings, up to the Miracle-Shepherd (cat. 13), which is the only work by the asylum inmate illustrated across an entire page. Here especially, the author attempts to explore the quality of "strangeness and the supernatu
ral" which in Natterer "agitates and fascinates us so inexplicably". He attributes this to the fact that "the characteristic quality lies in the organic form resulting from the partial draw
ings of organs, which however are not centred anywhere. The fake organisms are neatly drawn to completion and closed on all sides, but once again with the pointless logic which leads a rational m a n into an endless maze."27
Why was Prinzhorn so shaken by this single drawing? He was "agitated" by the fact that in the case of the Miracle Shepherd his main instru
ment of art reception failed: empathy, or what he called Wesensschau, or "essential inspection".28
As one of the key reasons for the failure of aes
thetic acceptance, he mentions the difficulty of identifying with what is represented as a coun
terpart. Prinzhorn experienced this as a crisis, and projected this crisis onto the artist. Wilhelm Worringer had already used this problematic figure of argumentation in his influential disser
tation Abstraktion und Einfiihlung (1908), when he diagnosed behind the abstract in art, which
he experienced as impossible to empathize with, the anxiety of the producer.29
But Natterer's woks not only refuse empathy.
They break with everything that the beholder was accustomed to in terms of motifs and style.
Natterer, a technician and electrical mechanic, drew in the sheets presented by Prinzhorn important moments of a hallucination that he had once seen in 1907 in the clouds above Stutt
gart's Rotebuhl barracks. Within half an hour, he saw 10,000 amazing, but ultimately puzzling images, which for Natterer were "manifesta
tions of the last judgement."'0 A witch appeared as an evil world creator in constantly changing attire,'1 a doubting Thomas whose head was first a 42 cm Grenade, then becoming a tiara and finally a pile of straw (cat. 15),'2 and a rabbit that sprang from a cloud onto the "world axis" (cat.
76)." The most complex was the genesis of the Miracle Shepherd (cat. 13): "At first a cobra was in the air [...]. And then came the foot [...]. Then the other foot came. It was made from a turnip.
[...] On this second foot appeared the face of my fatherinlaw in W.: the world miracle. The fore
head was creased and the seasons of the year came from it. Then it became a tree. The bark of the tree was broken off in front so that the gap formed the mouth of the face. The branches of the tree formed the hair. Then there appeared feminine genitals between the leg and the foot, those break off the man's foot, i.e., sin comes from the woman and makes the m a n fall. One foot is propped against the sky, that means the fall into hell. [...] Then came a Jew, a shepherd who had a sheepskin wrapped around him.
There was wool on him, those were a lot of W's, i.e., m u c h woe will come. [...] I am the shepherd
the Good Shepherd God!"'4
To record these flowing visionary images, years later Natterer used what was familiar to
T h o m a s R d s k e M a x Ernst's Encounter with Artistry of the Mentally III
h i m , t e c h n i c a l d r a w i n g w i t h c o m p a s s a n d r u l e r , to a t t e m p t to r e c o n s t r u c t a n d t h u s u n d e r s t a n d w h a t h e h a d s e e n . " T h i s k i n d of a n a l y t i c re
c r e a t i o n of a h u m a n a n i m a l v e g e t a b l e t e c h n i c a l m e t a m o r p h o s i s w a s n e w in a r t . It s u r p a s s e d t h e f a n t a s t i c a l t h a t h a d d e v e l o p e d s i n c e s y m b o l i s m a n d a r t n o u v e a u . Even t h e o r i g i n a l m e c h a n i s t i c m e t a p h o r s of love a n d erotics t h a t t h e N e w York D a d a i s t s d r e w a n d p a i n t e d in t h e First W o r l d W a r m o s t f a m o u s l y Large Glass (1915) by Mar
cel D u c h a m p (fig. 4) u s e d m u c h less h e t e r o g e n e o u s m a t e r i a l .
I n t e r e s t i n g l y , P r i n z h o r n ' s violent r e a c t i o n n o t o n l y b e t r a y s a r e a c t i o n a g a i n s t t h e u n f a m i l i a r . H e w a s "agitated" by t h e N a t t e r e r d r a w i n g s a n d
" f a s c i n a t e d . " T h e i r d e m o n i z a t i o n as s o m e t h i n g
" s t r a n g e " a n d " s u p e r n a t u r a l " is a m b i v a l e n t . H i s i n c l u d i n g N a t t e r e r a m o n g t h e s c h i z o p h r e n i c m a s t e r s of h i s b o o k also s h o w s t h a t t h e a u t h o r h a d a h i g h e s t i m a t i o n for t h e a r t i s t i c v a l u e of t h e s e d r a w i n g s .
Like m a n y c o m m i t t e d a r t i s t s of t h e p o s t w a r p e r i o d , P r i n z h o r n s o u g h t for a n e w c u l t u r a l b e g i n n i n g a f t e r t h e d e s o l a t i o n of v a l u e s in t h e m a d n e s s of t h e b a t t l e s of a n n i h i l a t i o n . Artistry of the Mentally III p r o p a g a t e s as s u c h t h e " a r t i s t r y "
of a s y l u m i n m a t e s , for it w a s c l a i m e d to b e m o r e
" a u t h e n t i c , " m o r e "real" t h a n c o n t e m p o r a r y p r o f e s s i o n a l a r t , a n d t h e a u t h o r , t r u e to h i s c r e d o t h a t a r t is e s s e n t i a l l y e x p r e s s i o n , w a s p r i m a r i l y r e f e r r i n g to e x p r e s s i o n i s m . C o n t e m p o r a r y a r t s t r o v e for " i n s p i r e d c r e a t i o n " as c o u l d b e f o u n d i n t h e a s y l u m w o r k s , b u t only " e n d s u p w i t h i n t e l l e c t u a l s u b s t i t u t e s " , '6 t h a t is, n o t c r e a t i n g p u r e l y f r o m t h e u n c o n s c i o u s , as d i d t h e a s y l u m i n m a t e s , a c c o r d i n g to P r i n z h o r n .
T h e t e n t h " s c h i z o p h r e n i c m a s t e r " , f a v o u r e d by h i m , F r a n z Karl Biihler (Pohl), e m b o d i e d for h i m s u c h a n " i n n o c e n t " e x p r e s s i v e a r t i s t (fig. 5);
h e s a w in h i m a s e c o n d V a n G o g h . '7O t h e r "art
i s t r i e s " p r o m i n e n t i n t h e b o o k also s h o w strik
i n g a f f i n i t i e s to e x p r e s s i o n i s m . '8 N a t t e r e r ' s d r a w i n g s d i f f e r t h e m o s t f r o m t h e s e . H e r e , t h e p e n c i l d o e s n o t follow a n y i n s p i r a t i o n of t h e m o m e n t , b u t c a r e f u l p l a n n i n g . I n s t e a d of a v o i d i n g r e a s o n , i n t h e s e d r a w i n g s it is a l m o s t s y s t e m a t i c a l l y k e p t in c h e c k as in t h e w o r k s of s u r r e a l i s m .
It is d i f f i c u l t to u n d e r s t a n d P r i n z h o r n ' s s t r o n g r e a c t i o n today, b e c a u s e w e s e e t h e Miracle Shepherd t h r o u g h t h e eyes of s u r r e a l i s m , j u s t as it w a s a l r e a d y a p p r o p r i a t e d for t h e m o v e m e n t in 1938 by t h e Dictionnaire abrege du Surrealisme
(fig. 6).19T h e d r a w i n g m u s t h a v e b e e n c r e a t e d at s o m e p o i n t b e t w e e n 1911 a n d 1913, y e a r s b e f o r e t h e f o r m a t i o n of t h e g r o u p a r o u n d A n d r e Bre
t o n . A n d w h e n P r i n z h o r n w r o t e Artistry of the Mentally III in 1 9 1 9 2 1 , s u r r e a l i s m w a s still a p u r e l y literary m o v e m e n t , of w h i c h h e p r e s u m ably k n e w n o t h i n g .
In t h e c o n f u s i o n e x p e r i e n c e d by t h e a r t h i s t o r i a n a n d doctor, w e c a n s e e t h e i m p a c t of Natter
er's s t r a n g e v i s u a l i n v e n t i o n s o n a n " i n n o c e n t "
b e h o l d e r , w h o all t h e s a m e s e n s e d t h a t t h e d r a w i n g s of t h e e l e c t r i c a l m e c h a n i c c o r r e s p o n d e d m o r e to t h e t i m e s t h a n i m a g e s by t h e o t h e r asy
l u m i n m a t e s , e v e n if t h e y w e r e stylistically m o r e f a m i l i a r to h i m .
The Development
of a Compositional Technique
I n d e e d , w h a t P r i n z h o r n w r i t e s a b o u t t h e c o m p o s i t i o n a n d t h e i m p a c t of t h e Miracle Shepherd r e a d s like a d e s c r i p t i o n of o n e of t h e c o m p o s i tional p r i n c i p l e s of s u r r e a l i s m . E r n s t called it
" t h e p h e n o m e n o n discovered by t h e s u r r e a l i s t s "
t h a t " t h e c o n v e r g e n c e of t w o (or m o r e ) a p p a r e n t l y alien e l e m e n t s o n a p l a n e t h a t is f o r e i g n to t h e i r b e i n g provokes t h e s t r o n g e s t p o e t i c sparks."4 0
T h o m a s Roske M a x Ernst's Encounter with Artistry of the Mentally III
P r i n z h o r n g r a s p s i n N a t t e r e r t h e c o m b i n a t i o n of t h e h e t e r o g e n e o u s (on a g r o u n d t h a t d o e s n o t f o r m a s e n s i b l e context) as a " f a k e o r g a n i s m , "
w h i c h "is d r a w n to c o m p l e t i o n a n d c l o s e d o n all sides", b u t n o t "centred", a n d calls t h i s " p o i n t l e s s logic". But w h a t t h e s u r r e a l i s t s call a r e s u l t a n t
" p o e t r y " c o n c e r n s P r i n z h o r n i n its i m p a c t as a s h o r t c i r c u i t of t r a d i t i o n a l a e s t h e t i c s a n d ration
ality w i t h t h e r e s u l t of d e e p if for s o m e fasci
n a t i n g i n s e c u r i t y ( " e n d l e s s m a z e " ) . P r i n z h o r n t h u s e x p l a i n s a t e c h n i q u e of d e s i g n t h a t E r n s t b e g a n to u s e at t h e s a m e t i m e a s a D a d a i s t p r a c t i c e . H e w a s s u r e l y i n s p i r e d to d o s o also by i l l u s t r a t i o n s f r o m t h e j o u r n a l
Valori plastici, w h i c h h e c a m e to k n o w i n I C ^ G ) .4'
P e r h a p s i m p r e s s i o n s f r o m t h e B o n n collection w i t h p i c t u r e s a n d s c u l p t u r e s by a s y l u m i n m a t e s e x e r t e d s o m e i n f l u e n c e h e r e .4 2 For t h e " u n m e d i a t e d j u x t a p o s i t i o n " was, as Jorg K a t e r n d a h l h a s s h o w n , s i n c e t h e e n d of t h e n i n e t e e n t h c e n t u r y for m a n y p s y c h i a t r i s t s t h e m o s t i m p o r t a n t c h a r a c t e r i s t i c of a s y l u m a r t ,4' w h i c h is w h y c o r r e s p o n d i n g e x a m p l e s s u r e l y c o u l d b e f o u n d in B o n n . O r h a d E r n s t actually, as M a c G r e g o r c o n s i d e r s " h i g h l y likely,"44 a l r e a d y t h e n visited t h e H e i d e l b e r g collection, s e e n d r a w i n g s by Nat
t e r e r i n t h e o r i g i n a l a n d s p o k e n w i t h P r i n z h o r n a b o u t t h e s e i m p r e s s i o n s ?
W h e t h e r or n o t t h i s is t h e case, t h e play w i t h t h e c o m b i n a t i o n of h e t e r o g e n e o u s v i s u a l m a t e rial g o e s t h r o u g h v a r i o u s s t e p s of d e v e l o p m e n t i n E r n s t , a n d only t h e p i c t u r e s f r o m t h e y e a r s 1 9 2 2 / 2 3 s h o w t h e g r e a t e s t p r o x i m i t y to Nat
t e r e r ' s d r a w i n g s . T h e a r t i s t b e g i n s i n 1919 w i t h w o r k s t h a t c o m b i n e c l i c h e p r i n t s w i t h f r o t t a g e s of p r i n t b l o c k s a n d o t h e r t h i n g s , h e t h e n p a i n t s over p r i n t s a n d w o r k s o n collages w i t h d e t a i l s of p l a n t s a n d m a c h i n e s (fig. 7). T h e s e early, play
f u l s h e e t s a r e n o t only r e m i n i s c e n t of t h e pit- tura metafisisca of D e C h i r i c o a n d C a r l o C a r r a ,
b u t a l s o of t h e a f o r e m e n t i o n e d m e c h a n i s a t i o n of e r o t i c i s m i n t h e w o r k of D u c h a m p a n d o t h e r N e w York a r t i s t s b e g i n n i n g in 1915 (Fig. 4).
I n 1 9 2 0 a n d 1921, E r n s t t h e n c o m b i n e d p e o ple a n d a n i m a l s f r o m collage m a t e r i a l of vari
o u s p r o v e n a n c e s . To h e i g h t e n t h e b e h o l d e r ' s a m a z e m e n t , h e p h o t o g r a p h e d a n d r e w o r k e d t h e r e s u l t s , i n c r e a s i n g l y v e i l i n g t h e p r o c e s s of c r e a t i o n . W i t h t h e s a m e i n t e n t i o n in m i n d , i n 1921 h e r e t u r n e d to p a i n t i n g . T h e first p a i n t i n g w a s of t h e collage La preparation de la colle d'os.
A b o u t t h i s "very p r e c i s e e n l a r g e m e n t in oil p a i n t o n canvas," t h e a r t i s t w r o t e at t h e t i m e , " t h e i m a g e is h i g h l y c o l o u r f u l , a n d of c o u r s e s e e m s m u c h m o r e i n s a n e t h a n t h e s m a l l r e p r o d u c tion."45
" I n s a n e " for E r n s t is s u r e l y n o t just t h e e n l a r g e m e n t . T h r o u g h t h e oil p a i n t i n g , t h e v i s u a l i n v e n t i o n s e e m s m o r e t h a n i n t h e p h o t o g r a p h s of t h e collages as if m a d e of o n e cast, t h e a b s u r d a p p e a r s m o r e real. I n c r e a s i n g l y now, h u m a n b o d i e s p e n e t r a t e E r n s t ' s w o r k s , b u t at first u s u a l l y i n t h e s e n s e of a collage c u t a s a f r a g m e n t or h e a d l e s s . It is only in t h e n e x t year t h a t t h e a r t i s t b e g i n s a s e r i e s of p a i n t i n g s in w h i c h h u m a n b o d i e s a r e e i t h e r a m a l g a m a t e d w i t h m a c h i n e s or o t h e r b o d i e s (fig. 8).
T h i s r e q u i r e s specifically p a i n t e r l y m e a n s , a n d t h e r e f o r e g o e s clearly b e y o n d t h e m o r e or less f r e e d e p i c t i o n of collages. T h e f r e e c o m b i n a tion of o b j e c t s r e a c h e s a n e w d e n s i t y t h a t is a l s o e x p r e s s e d in t e r m s of c o n t e n t . W h i l e a n i r o n i c a s p e c t r e m a i n s , t h e i m a g e s n o w s e e m m o r e seri
o u s a n d m o r e s u b s t a n t i a l .
The Fall of the Angel (1923, cat. 16) b e l o n g s to t h i s g r o u p . It is n o t as o b v i o u s l y s i m i l a r to Nat
t e r e r ' s Miracle Shepherd as is t h e collage Oedipe, a n d yet it h a s just as m u c h in c o m m o n w i t h t h e v i s u a l i n v e n t i o n s of t h e e l e c t r i c a l m e c h a n i c as t h e later w o r k by E r n s t . A m a l e a n d a f e m a l e
T h o m a s Roske M a x Ernst's E n c o u n t e r w i t h Artistry of the Mentally III
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t I
J
n u d e float b e f o r e a c l o u d y b a c k d r o p t h a t is r e m i
n i s c e n t of a r c h i t e c t u r e or a p i e c e of f u r n i t u r e . T h e b o d i e s a r e i n t e r w o v e n , f a c i n g o p p o s i t e d i r e c t i o n s . T h e h e a d of t h e w o m a n is r e p l a c e d by a n o v e r s i z e d n o s e . A l o n g i s h box a n d a w h e e l in h e r a r m p i t d i r e c t o u r g a z e t o w a r d s a w i n g s h a p e d s h o c k of h a i r .
T h e i n t e r t w i n i n g of t h e b o d i e s c a n b e read as a s e x u a l e n c o u n t e r , e v e n if t h e i r p o s i t i o n s p e a k s a g a i n s t f r e e will a n d genitality. Inexorably, t h e b e h o l d e r d r a w s t h e c o n c l u s i o n t h a t t h e fall m e n t i o n e d w a s c a u s e d by t h e act of s i n . A n d w i t h t h e o v e r s i z e d o r g a n of s m e l l , t h e e m p h a s i z e d a r m pits, a n d t h e s h o c k of hair, w h i c h t r a d i t i o n a l l y s t a n d for s e n s u a l i t y , t h e w o m a n is (once m o r e ) b l a m e d for it.
T h e floating of t h e u n c l e a r j u m b l e of l i m b s , t h e lack of a h e a d , a n d t h e p l a c e m e n t of t h e over
s i z e d n o s e a r e e q u a l l y r e m i n i s c e n t of t h e c o n s t r u c t i o n of t h e Miracle Shepherd as t h e overall c o m p o s i t i o n of t h e d o u b l e n u d e . T h e m a t i c a l l y s p e a k i n g , t h e w o r k s a r e a l s o related, as N a t t e r e r r e c o g n i z e s in h i s w o r k a n a l l e g o r y of s o r t s o n m a n ' s fall i n t o s i n t h r o u g h w o m a n ("the w o m a n b r i n g s m a n to fall", " d e s c e n t i n t o hell").
T h e o b v i o u s i n s p i r a t i o n of t h e p a i n t i n g by t h e d r a w i n g r e p r o d u c e d in P r i n z h o r n s h o w s t h a t E r n s t w a s s t r o n g l y a f f e c t e d by h i s r e a d i n g of t h e r e l e v a n t c h a p t e r i n Artistry of the Mentally III.
H e p r o b a b l y first b e c a m e c l e a r t h r o u g h t h i s text of t h e a c t u a l d i m e n s i o n of a n a r t i s t i c t e c h n i q u e t h a t h e a l r e a d y c i r c l e d a r o u n d for s e v e r a l y e a r s
A b b . \fig. 8 M a x Ernst
Es lebe die Liebe o d e r Pays c h a r m a n t | Long Live Love or Pays charmant, 1923
O l a u f L e i n w a n d | Oil on canvas, 131,4 x 98,1 c m Saint Louis A r t M u s e u m
a s a D a d a i s t t h r o u g h t h e c o m b i n a t i o n of vari
o u s copy a n d collage t e c h n i q u e s . H e u n d e r s t o o d h o w a c o r r e s p o n d i n g c o m b i n a t o r i c s w h e n t h e h e t e r o g e n e o u s s t a r t i n g m a t e r i a l w a s n o l o n g e r s o e a s y to r e c o g n i z e a s i n h i s w o r k s u p to 1922.
T h e t r a n s l a t i o n of c o l l a g e s to p a i n t i n g in 1921 h a d m a d e h i m s u r e l y m o r e r e c e p t i v e for t h i s r e a l i s a t i o n . O n l y n o w d i d h e feel able to v e n t u r e i n t o " t h o s e v a g u e a n d d a n g e r o u s l a n d s c o n f i n e d by m a d n e s s . " In 1 9 2 2 1 9 2 3 , E r n s t b e g i n s to e x p l o r e t h e p s y c h o l o g i c a l d e p t h s by way of a r t w i t h a n e w s t r i n g e n c y . T h e s t e p for e x a m p l e f r o m t h e early c o l l a g e s to t h e later collage n o v e l s like Une Semaine de Bonte (1934) is u n t h i n k a b l e w i t h o u t t h e i n s i g h t s p r o v i d e d by Artistry of the Mentally III.
N o t e s
1 W e r n e r Spies was the first t o w r i t e a b o u t Ernst and P r i n z h o r n in his b o o k Max Ernst: Collagen, Inventor und V/iderspruch [1974] (Cologne, 1988), 32.
2 Eduard Trier, " W a s Max Ernst s t u d i e r t h a t " [1979], in Max Ernst in Koln: Die rheinische Kunstszene bis 1922, ( C o l o g n e , 1980); see also K l e m e n s D i e c k h o f e r , " M a x Ernst u n d seine B e g e g n u n g m i t M e d i z i n u n d Psychologie," Max Ernst in Koln, 6 9 - 7 3 .
3 D i e c k h o f e r , " M a x Ernst u n d seine B e g e g n u n g m i t M e d i z i n u n d Psychologie," 70.
4 T h o m a s Roske, " E x p r e s s i o n i s m u s u n d P s y c h i a t r i c "
Expressionismus und Wahnsinn ( M u n i c h , 2003), 13.
5 T h e f o l l o w i n g q u o t a t i o n s are all d r a w n f r o m Max Ernst,
" A n I n f o r m a l Life o f M.E. (as t o l d by h i m s e l f t o a y o u n g f r i e n d ) " , Max Ernst, ed. W i l l i a m S. L i e b e r m a n n ( N e w York, 1961), 9, a n d Max Ernst, " N o t e s p o u r u n e b i o g r a p h i e , "
Ventures (Paris, 1970), 20.
6 T h e e n c o u n t e r w i t h t h e s c u l p t u r e s by t h e m e n t a l l y ill
" k n e a d e d f r o m b r e a d " Ernst m e n t i o n s for the t i m e p e r i o d 1 9 0 9 - 1 9 1 4 also in " B i o g r a p h i s c h e N o t i z e n ( W a h r h e i t e n u n d L i i g e n g e w e b e ) " , Max Ernst (Cologne, 1963), 24.
7 In t h e French v e r s i o n o f t h e text, Ernst places t h e t e r m s
" p r o c e d e s " as well as " n o m a n ' s l a n d " in q u o t a t i o n m a r k s , see Ernst, tcritures, 20.
8 Ernst, " A n I n f o r m a l Life o f M.E.", 9.
T h o m a s Roske M a x Ernst's E n c o u n t e r w i t h Artistry of the Mentally III
g Patrick W a l d b e r g , M a x Ernst (Paris, 1958), 64. See also L o t h a r Fischer, Max Ernst in Selbstzeugnissen und Bild- dokumenten (Reinbek, 1968), 19.
10 Jurgen Pech, ' " D i e s e u n b e s t i m m t e n u n d g e f a h r l i c h e n Gebiete'. Max Ernsts A n m e r k u n g e n z u m W a h n " , Kunst und Wahn (Cologne, 1997), 333.
n Trier, " W a s Max Ernst s t u d i e r t hat," 66. M a c C r e g o r speculates t h a t they c o u l d have been given t o H e i d e l b e r g a r o u n d 1919-1920. See John M . M a c G r e g o r , The Discovery of the Art of the Insane ( P r i n c e t o n , 1989), 355, n o t e 29.
But t h e r e is no e v i d e n c e o f t h i s .
12 I already have briefly p r e s e n t e d the m a i n a r g u m e n t o f this essay in " V o r b i l d u n d G e g e n b i l d . O s k a r S c h l e m m e r , M a x Ernst u n d Jean D u b u f f e t reagieren a u f W e r k e d e r S a m m l u n g P r i n z h o r n " , Im Rausch der Kunst: Dubuffet und Art Brut ( D u s s e l d o r f , 2 0 0 5 ) , 150-152.
13 Spies, Max Ernst, 183-184. M a c G r e g o r a s s u m e s t h a t it was Ernst h i m s e l f w h o p o i n t e d this o u t t o Spies, see M a c G r e g o r , The Discovery of the Art of the Insane, 356, n o t e 4 4 .
14 Stefanie Poley, u n d n i c h t m e h r lassen m i c h diese D i n g e los'. P r i n z h o r n s Buch ' B i l d n e r e i der Geistesk- ranken' u n d seine W i r k u n g in der m o d e r n e n K u n s t " , Die Prinzhorn-Sammlung: Bilder, Skulpturen, Texte aus psychiatrischen Anstalten (ca. 1 8 9 0 - 1 9 2 0 ) ( K o n i g s t e i n a m T a u n u s , 1980), 65; see also Poley, " D a s V o r b i l d des Ver- r i i c k t e n . K u n s t in D e u t s c h l a n d z w i s c h e n 1910 u n d 1945", Von Chaos und Ordnung der Seele. Ein interdisziplindrer Dialog uber Psychiatrie und moderne Kunst, eds. O t t o Benkert and Peter G o r s e n (Berlin, 1990), 80.
15 Spies, Max Ernst, 184.
16 Pech, ' " D i e s e u n b e s t i m m t e n u n d g e f a h r l i c h e n G e b i e t e ' " , 3 4 0 .
17 Spies, Max Ernst, 32.
18 Poley, "'... u n d n i c h t m e h r lassen m i c h diese D i n g e los'", 6 6 .
19 Pech, ' " D i e s e u n b e s t i m m t e n u n d g e f a h r l i c h e n G e b i e t e ' " , 3 4 0 .
2 0 S t e p h e n P r o k o p o f f , " T h e P r i n z h o r n C o l l e c t i o n a n d M o d ern A r t " , The Prinzhorn Collection ( U r b a n a C h a m p a i g n , 1984), 18. M a c G r e g o r even a r g u e d t h a t the i n f l u e n c e o f Brendel c o u l d be " t r a c e d in Ernst's s c u l p t u r e , " see Mac
Gregor, The Discovery of the Art of the Insane, 281.
21 O n Siever's visual s t o r i e s , see M o n i k a Jagfeld, Outside In: Zeitgeschehen in Werken der Sammlung Prinzhorn am Beispiel Rudolf Heinrichshofen ( W e i m a r , 2 0 0 8 ) , 6 2 6 8 . 22 Roger Cardinal, " S u r r e a l i s m a n d t h e P a r a d i g m o f the
Creative S u b j e c t " , in Parallel Visions. Modern Artists and Outsider Art ( P r i n c e t o n , 1992), 107.
23 H a l Foster, ' " N o M a n ' s Land': O n t h e M o d e r n i s t Recep
t i o n o f the A r t o f t h e Insane", in The Prinzhorn Collection:
Traces on the Wunderblock, T h e D r a w i n g Center ( N e w York, 2 0 0 0 ) , 9 2 2 , 14.
2 4 M a r i e l e n e Weber, " A u g u s t Natterer, ein s c h i z o p h r e n e r Kunstler: Z u r Rezeption", August Natterer: Die Beweiskraft der Bilder, Leben und Werk: Deutungen, eds. Inge Jadi a n d B e t t i n a B r a n d C l a u s s e n ( H e i d e l b e r g 1999), 347. W e b e r w a s t h e first t o p r o v i d e an exact analysis o f P r i n z h o r n ' s d e p i c t i o n o f N a t t e r e r .
25 H a n s P r i n z h o r n , Artistry of the Mentally III, 171.
26 Weber, " A u g u s t N a t t e r e r , ein s c h i z o p h r e n e r K u n s t l e r " , 346.
27 P r i n z h o r n , Artistry of the Mentally III, 170 f.
28 For m o r e o n P r i n z h o r n ' s m e t h o d o l o g y , see T h o m a s Roske, Der Arzt als Kunstler. Asthetik und Psychotherapie bei Hans Prinzhorn (18861933) (Bielefeld, 1995), 3 5 4 0 . 29 W i l h e l m W o r r i n g e r , Abstraktion und Einfuhlung. Ein Bei-
tragzur Stilpsychologie [1908] ( M u n i c h , 1976), 4 9 . 30 P r i n z h o r n , Artistry of the Mentally III, 160.
31 Ibid., 163165.
32 Ibid., 166.
33 Ibid., 170.
34 Ibid.
35 O n t h e i n t e r p r e t a t i o n o f t h e i m a g e s , see Ferenc J3di,
" N o b l e s s e oblige: U n s i c h t b a r e s u n d U n s a g b a r e s in Nat
terers Leben u n d W e r k " , August Natterer, ed. Jadi and B r a n d C l a u s s e n , 215322.
36 P r i n z h o r n , Artistry of the Mentally III, 272.
37 Ibid., 286. See M o n i k a Jagfeld, " G e i s t e r t a n z e r : Franz Karl B u h l e r Ein ' G e i s t e s k r a n k e r ' als E x p r e s s i o n i s t " , in:
Expressionismus und Wahnsinn, 8 8 9 9 .
38 Bettina B r a n d C l a u s s e n , " P r i n z h o r n s ' B i l d n e r e i der G e i s t e s k r a n k e n ' ein s p a t e x p r e s s i o n i s t i s c h e s M a n i f e s t " , Vision und Revision einer Entdeckung, ( H e i d e l b e r g 2001), 1131.
39 A n d r e B r e t o n / P a u l Eluard, Dictionnaire abrigi du Surrial- isme, (Paris 1938), 73.
4 0 M a x Ernst, " W a s ist S u r r e a l i s m u s ? " [1934], Max Ernst Retrospektive 1979, ed. W e r n e r Spies, ( M u n i c h , 1979), 157.
41 Spies, Max Ernst, 35.
42 Ibid., 31; see also Poley, u n d n i c h t m e h r lassen m i c h diese D i n g e los'", 78.
43 Jorg K a t e r n d a h l , "Bildnerei von Schizophrenen": Zur Prob- lematik der Beziehungssetzung von Psyche und Kunst im ersten Drittel des 20. Jahrhunderts ( H i l d e s h e i m , 2 0 0 5 ) , 68 and 91.
4 4 M a c G r e g o r , T h e Discovery o f t h e A r t o f t h e Insane, 279.
45 Letter f r o m Max Ernst t o Tristan Tzara, C o l o g n e , 10 O c t o ber 1921, q u o t e d in: Spies, Max Ernst, 237.
