
Gala Eluard,1924
Artist: Max Ernst (1891-1976)
Max Ernst was born in Germany on April 2, 1891. Ernst was a German painter, sculptor, graphic artist, poet, and a primary pioneer of the Dada movement and Surrealism. In his early life, Ernst was raised in a Catholic family. His father was a teacher of the deaf, and was deaf himself as well. He also was an amateur painter, and both of his parents were strict disciplinarians. Despite the disability of his father, Ernst learned many painting skills from him and even used him as inspiration. In 1914, Ernst attended the University of Bonn with the goal of studying philosophy. He eventually dropped out of school because of his interest in the arts.
Gala Eluard is an oil on canvas painting. Gala Éluard was muse and lover to Ernst, who painted this work based on Man Ray’s photograph of Éluard’s eyes. With curious forms rising from her unfurling forehead, Éluard becomes an imagined embodiment of Surrealism’s wide-eyed interest in art’s power to explore the mysterious territories of the unconscious mind. The colors of this portrait are focused on browns, and it transmits calmness, mystery, silence, motionless, and autumn vibes. Even though this painting reflects an effortless beauty, it doesn’t show perfection. The audience can observe the unequaled details of each eye and eyebrow, which gives to it a sense of an authentic portrait.
Gala Eluard reflects the aesthetic preferences associated with Modernism by being part of the Surrealism movement. Surrealism, in Gala Eluard in particular, emphasizes mystery and allow the artist to express his basic drives like love and sexuality. I encountered this work in the Metropolitan Museum, gallery 901. What caught my attention was the serenity of the eyes, I couldn’t look at nothing else on this painting but the eyes. It felt like she was looking right at me, and I found it interesting. Also, what drew me to this piece of art was its authenticity, and the fact that despite being art it still shows a woman’s imperfections.
Questions I have about the work:
What is the significance of the top of the painting? What caused Gala Éluard’s eyes expression? Is she hiding something? Why did Max Ernst painted this portrait? What is the mystery?
“Max Ernst, and His Paintings.” , www.max-ernst.com/.
“Max Ernst Biography.” www.max-ernst.com/biography.jsp.
“Gala Éluard.” The Met’s Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History, www.metmuseum.org/en/art/collection/search/490182.
Visual Arts : The Key Characteristics of Surrealism. jrocastro09.blogspot.com/2013/05/the-key-characteristics-of-surrealism.html.