January 20th, 2024

Happy Saturday! I hope your week has been creative, or at the very least interesting. For me, it’s been a busy week at my day job and I’ve been struggling to find the time to create art. I’m not sure what it’s like for all of you with non-artistic day jobs, but I find when I’m really busy with life my creative side kind of stagnates and it takes some effort to get into the “art” mindset. I’m looking forward to having some free time this weekend to explore and maybe dust off some older projects I never got around to finishing and see if I can approach them with a fresh perspective.

I’m really excited for the Artist Highlight this week; it’s someone who has been incredibly kind to me and many others in the space, and who I see as the ultimate supporter of “the little guy”. Before we get to that though, let’s take a deep dive into the life and work of Max Ernst.

Artist Spotlight - Max Ernst (1891-1976)

Career

Max Ernst was born in Germany in 1891. He did not initially set out to become an artist in the traditional sense, beginning his academic career studying philosophy, psychology, and art history at the University of Bonn in Germany. His studies were more academically oriented rather than focused on practical artistic training. Ernst was largely self-taught as an artist. His early exposure to art came from his father, who was an amateur painter. This provided him with an early appreciation and understanding of art, but it wasn't through formal art school training.

Ernst was conscripted into the German army during World War I. He served on both the Western and Eastern fronts as an artilleryman. The experience of World War I left a lasting impression on Ernst. The trauma and brutality of the war significantly influenced his outlook on life and art. After the war, there was a noticeable shift in his work. He became part of the Dada movement, which was partly an artistic reaction to the war, characterized by a strong anti-war sentiment and a rejection of traditional values and norms that were seen as having led to the conflict.

In 1922, Ernst moved to Paris and became deeply involved with the Surrealists, artists and writers who sought to unlock the creative potential of the subconscious mind. During this time, he expanded his repertoire of techniques, including grattage and decalcomania, further exploring the possibilities of chance and texture in creating dream-like, enigmatic images. Some of his most iconic works, like "The Elephant Celebes" (1921) and "Two Children Are Threatened by a Nightingale" (1924), were created in this period. These works are known for their bizarre juxtapositions and dreamlike, surreal qualities.

The rise of Fascism in Europe had a significant impact on Ernst. Being German, he faced multiple arrests in France during World War II. In 1941, with the help of Peggy Guggenheim, he managed to escape to the United States. His time in America marked a new phase in his art. He married fellow artist Dorothea Tanning and was influenced by the vast landscapes and indigenous art of the American Southwest. Ernst returned to Europe in the 1950s. His later works often revisited earlier motifs but with a new perspective influenced by his experiences. These works are characterized by a sense of introspection and continued innovation.

Contributions to the Art World

Ernst contributed greatly to the art world, including new and innovative techniques. Three of the techniques are frottage, grattage and decalcomania.

Frottage involves making rubbings of textured surfaces to create images. Ernst discovered this method almost by accident and used it to evoke mysterious, dream-like scenes, deeply influencing Surrealist imagery.

Grattage involves the scraping of paint from the canvas to reveal the imprints or textures underneath; this technique allowed for the creation of unexpected forms and textures in his paintings.

Decalcomania, which involves pressing paint between two surfaces and then pulling them apart, creates a textured effect. Ernst utilized this to produce fantastical landscapes and forms.

Ernst was a central figure in the Surrealist movement, known for his exploration of the unconscious and dream imagery. His work often features bizarre, illogical scenes with precise, realistic detail, creating unsettling, dream-like atmospheres. His work in the Dada movement was characterized by a rejection of conventional artistic values. His collages, for example, combined disparate images to create new, often absurd meanings, reflecting the Dadaist disdain for the logic and rationality that they believed had led to the horrors of World War I.

Ernst was not confined to painting; he also worked in sculpture, collage, and various graphic art forms. His works often contained symbolic, sometimes autobiographical elements, woven into narratives that challenge the viewers' perceptions and encourage a deeper exploration of subconscious and psychological themes.

Style

Ernst's art is renowned for its seamless blending of the real and the surreal. He created scenes that, while often grounded in recognizable forms, are distorted or combined in ways that evoke the dream world. This play between reality and fantasy is a hallmark of his style and sets his work apart. Influenced by Freudian psychoanalysis, Ernst delved into themes of the subconscious, dreams, and psychosexual elements. His work invites introspection and interpretation, often dealing with complex inner emotions and thoughts.

He often juxtaposed disparate elements in his art. This unexpected combination of images and textures creates a sense of surprise and disorientation, forcing viewers to question their perceptions and engage with the artwork on a deeper, more subconscious level. Techniques like frottage, grattage, and decalcomania allowed the creation of unique textures and forms. These techniques produced unpredictable patterns and shapes, contributing to the dream-like, mysterious quality of his work.

Despite the often dark or unsettling themes in his work, Ernst also incorporated elements of absurdity and humor, particularly in his early Dada pieces. This use of humor, sometimes bordering on the bizarre, challenges conventional notions of what art should be.

Ernst did not limit himself to one medium or technique. He worked with painting, sculpture, collage, and graphic arts, demonstrating a remarkable ability to adapt his unique style to various forms and materials as he evolved over his long career.

Influences and Lessons

Ernst was deeply influenced by the psychoanalytic theories of Sigmund Freud. The exploration of dreams, subconscious imagery, and psychosexual themes in Freud's work resonated with Ernst, profoundly impacting his artistic expression. His experiences in World War I, which exposed him to the chaos and absurdities of conflict, significantly shaped his worldview. This disillusionment with conventional authority and societal norms is evident in his art.

He was also influenced by various forms of art and culture, including indigenous art, folklore, and mythologies, which contributed to the symbolic and mystical elements in his work. His keen interest in the occult and alchemy inspired many of his symbolic and mystical themes.

Ernst's work teaches us the value of exploring our subconscious minds. This can lead to more profound and original creative expressions, whether in art or other fields. His integration of psychological theories into his art underscores the value of interdisciplinary inspiration. Drawing knowledge and inspiration from various fields can enrich our own creative work. His use of personal symbolism and mythology in his art encourages us to delve into our own histories and experiences as a source of creative material.

Style Representation

Collectors Corner

Reptile - Wooden Wooden

Artist Highlight - Saucebook

Mark Kelly aka Saucebook wears the hats of an artist, collector and curator. Our circles collided in the late VQLIPSE Discord server in 2021, as we were all scrambling to learn the strange new world of AI art and Colab notebooks. My first DM interaction with him was after he had collected several of my pieces on hic et nunc, and he reached out to let me know I was pricing my work way too cheaply. I can’t really explain how much that simple statement meant to me as a new artist; it validated my efforts and gave me confidence that I wasn’t just creating art that I liked.

Mark is a firm believer in artists supporting artists, and has reached out to me on several occasions to participate in drops he’s curated. A lot of artists say those words but Mark actually practices them and has the numbers to back it up, with an impressive collection of almost 1,100 pieces on Foundation, 400+ on Nifty Gateway, and 1,6000 pieces on Objkt.

Here’s his bio in his own words:

“Born in the 50s, rapidly approaching my 70s, but still learning every day. I'm fascinated by digital art (of course) but also by other applications of artificial intelligence and in the way the NFT community interactions are a macrocosm of how people treat each other everywhere. Still largely occupied time-wise by a professional job in financial regulation, I escape whenever I can to create, collect or curate NFT art.”

What initially drew you to the world of NFT art, and how has your perception of this digital art form evolved since you began creating and collecting?

Beeple's huge sale in 2021 was the first I'd heard of NFTs and provided a powerful motivation to start collecting and later creating. Since then I have reduced my expectations of instant wealth, or even medium-term prosperity, but the lure of NFTs is still irresistible

Is there a piece in your collection that holds a special emotional or personal significance for you? Can you share the story behind it?

In terms of creation, I like the animation of an old lady singing Ain't It All A Blooming Shame. Partly because her complaint is true, but mainly because this was the most advanced combination of AI techniques I ever used, with the base image from Runway, the revoicing of the song by Fadr and the lip syncing by D-ID. I am very fond of my Fam picture of a group of brass monkeys on Nifty Gateway, as that was my genesis piece there, and also the Ozymandias piece which was given away without limit (15,000 were minted).

As a collector I have an A-Team of around a dozen artists I have collected from for a year or more, and I don't distinguish between them. Almost everything they create I'll try to find a way to collect. I've collaborated with some of them, curated others, and almost all of them have also collected my works.

As a collector and curator, how do you view your role in supporting artists in the NFT space? Are there particular types of artists or projects you are passionate about championing?

I'll answer the flip side first. I don't like fast trends, maybe because I miss out on most of them. So I don't go for PFP projects, whitelists or Pepe meme NFTs. But my tastes in artistic NFTs are very broad. My favorite genre is 3D animation, but I also collect photography, abstract art and many other varieties. The most tangible support possible is an actual purchase, so I do that as often as I can, adjusting the price limits so that I can support as many people as possible (I know what a boost even a low-priced sale can bring)

I do also repost people's art, and still occasionally curate on different platforms, but nothing grabs the attention like an actual purchase.

When I think of your work, I immediately think of beautiful chaos. What pushed you towards creating incredibly detailed and busy artwork and what did it feel like when you created that first piece in your "style"?

It was my most successful period. RuDalle (a Russian attempt to emulate Dalle) came up with surprising artifacts and was capable of incredible detail way before today's scripts made this commonplace. I used that ultradetailed approach for the longest time, but it ultimately became repetitive and I was keen to explore moving image AI creation. A few times I have tried to go back, but that special time can't be recaptured.

You've been open about your efforts pushing towards the engagement mark of 5 million impressions for monetization on X. What are some lessons you've learned about accomplishing that and what advice would you give the artists out there who feel invisible?

It was a technical challenge. I never expected it to yield big financial rewards. But there is a specific route you need to take to get there. It involves camping out on the accounts of large influencers and being among the first to respond to their posts. Quite laborious, but once you have passed the 5M mark you need to concentrate on bringing viewers to your own page, as actual ad revenue is only made there.

I'm trying to build engagement by a mixture of long-form and punchy short posts, highlighting other people's talents and learning the ropes of livestreaming, which I think will be very important in X's future. While I started as an NFT artist trying to market via X, I see myself now more as an X creator with a specialist niche in NFTs.

Are there any pieces or collections that you want to direct readers to check out?

I wish I had got more feedback for the Erewhon series on Foundation and Nifty Gateway. It has perhaps the most fully elaborated backstory I have ever attempted, which is allegorical and more about planet Earth than planet Erewhon. I also like the anthropomorphic lizards a lot!

Nobby on FND

Final Thoughts

I’ve been experimenting with digital painting this week here and there as I have time, using a base image and layering on top. At this point, I’m not sure if it’s going to be something that makes it into a final piece or if it’s just creative play. Either way, it’s interesting. Feedback is always welcome 🙂 

As always, if you enjoyed this edition I would really appreciate if you shared it. Just hit the share button below. And if you’re not following me on X yet, I’d love to follow you back.

On that note, I’ll leave you with a quote that reminds me showing up is always the most important part:

Enjoy your weekend, friend!

P.S. If you have feedback I’d love to hear it! A reply to this email goes directly to me.

Disclaimer: objkt.com links may include referral codes that provide a small commission to me at no cost to the collector; commissions are paid from objkt’s fee that they charge for each transaction.