The artwork, “At the First Clear Word,” was created by Max Ernst in 1923 in Paris, France. This oil on canvas piece is part of the Surrealism art movement and falls under the genre of symbolic painting. It is currently housed in the Kunstsammlung Nordrhein-Westfalen in Düsseldorf, Germany.
The artwork presents a compelling and surreal scene. Dominated by a clear, vibrant blue sky, the piece features a reddish-brown wall with three rectangular openings. Through these openings, various objects and symbols engage the viewer’s imagination. To the left, an elongated green insect-like figure clings to the wall, suspended by a thin string which runs through the central and left openings. The central window draws focus with a hand delicately holding a red sphere, which dangles by a thread, suggesting both tension and balance. Above the hand, a series of small red spheres are threaded onto a vertical rod. To the right, two tall, green, bud-like forms rise from the top of the wall, contrasting sharply with the static architectural elements. The juxtaposition of these natural and constructed elements imbues the artwork with a sense of mystery and otherworldliness, inviting varied interpretations about the interplay between organic and inorganic forms.
