The Eye of Silence (1943) by Max Ernst

The Eye of Silence - Max Ernst - 1943

Artwork Information

TitleThe Eye of Silence
ArtistMax Ernst
Date1943
MediumOil on Canvas
Dimensions108 x 141 cm
Art MovementSurrealism
Current LocationWashington University Gallery of Art (WUSTL), St. Louis, MO, US
Location Created United States
Order a Custom Print of this Artwork!

About The Eye of Silence

Max Ernst’s The Eye of Silence is a surrealist painting that depicts a lake surrounded by green and brown shapes that simultaneously suggest natural rock formations. The painting is an amalgamation of vegetation, rock, and bejewelled baroque palace, with a fusion of animal, mineral, and vegetable elements.

Painted in 1943 while Ernst was in exile in the United States and traveling with his then-wife Peggy Guggenheim in the American West, the artwork reflects his fascination with chance. He incorporated elements of chance into the composition using decalcomania as a technique to liberate the unconscious mind. As one of the pioneers of Surrealism who explored deep psyche through art by applying Sigmund Freud’s book “The Interpretation of Dreams,” Ernst’s work actively resists interpretation.

Despite being part vegetation, part rock and part palatial edifice with jewel-like elements inserted into it; The Eye Of Silence offers contradicting impossibilities that frustrates attempts at description making it hard to interpret but worth appreciating for its uniqueness. The original painting can be found at Mildred Lane Kemper Art Museum located in St. Louis Missouri US.

In short, Max Ernst’s The Eye Of Silence is an embodiment of surrealist characteristics filled with contradictions making it impossible to describe or interpret fully yet eye-catching.

Other Artwork from Max Ernst

More Surrealism Artwork

Scroll to Top