Max Ernst born Brül, Germany 1891; died Paris, France 1976 Chimeras in the Mountains 1940 Oil on canvas In this work, Max Ernst employed a technique called decalcomania, a process where wet paint is pressed against the canvas by another surface, usually another canvas, and pulled apart to create distinctive yet random patterns. Using a brush, Ernst then formed images suggested by these patterns, such as landscapes and surreal creatures. While Surrealists like Ernst opposed academic art esthetically, their critique extended to official art’s national and colonialist politics. Ernst painted Chimeras in the Mountains in the French alpine village of Saint Martin d’Ardeche, where he lived with English painter Leonora Carrington in 1938 and 1939. After France and Britain declared war on Germany in September of 1939, marking the beginning of World War II, Ernst was detained for six weeks by the French authorities. The artist began this work in January of 1940 shortly after his release. The birds of prey and carrion here may allude to the fascist Nazi armies overrunning Europe at the time. Bequest of Saidie A. May, BMA 1951.296