Max Ernst’s* Men Shall Know Nothing of This* 1923 and *Celebes* 1921 were investigated in depth during the Tate Picasso Picabia Ernst project of 2014-16, after which Annette King presented the findings on Picasso to the Icon Paintings Group. Now the other four Ernst works at Tate have also been explored through technical imaging. They span the period when Ernst (1891-1976) would fully embrace Surrealism.
Incising into wet paint would be developed by Ernst in the later 1920s into layering methods such as the additive frottage technique and subtractive grattage techniques which he invented. All six works have collage-like layering of colour and compositional elements, underpinned by meticulous planning, careful execution, and a high level of skill in traditional painting techniques – deliberately disguised and presented as spontaneity and a response to the unconscious mind. The findings are contextualised with recent published research on the artist. Dr Joyce Townsend is senior conservation scientist at Tate. She has concentrated for over 30 years on the identification and deterioration of artists' materials and on the interpretation of artists’ techniques in both oil and watercolour, mainly for 19th-century British and earlier 20th-century international art, including studies of Turner, Whistler, and Sargent, William Balk end the Pre-Raphaelites. She has recently published several studies on the making of Tate artworks in Tate Papers. She is an editor and contributor to many Archetype publications, most recently *Picasso, Picabia, Ernst: New Perspectives* (2018). For full details go to https://icon.org.uk/events/joyce-townsend-will-talk-on-max-ernsts-paintings-at-tate?dm_i=6S6,5W9VM,PLZPXT,N2FQ3,1 . Tickets: ICON members: £10, non- members: £15. Students £5 (student card required to be shown on the door) Please note: There is a small booking fee and no refunds can be made up to two days before the event. Free wine and cheese incl. in price of ticket. Please apply for tickets through Eventbrite ( https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/joyce-townsend-will-talk-on-max-ernsts-paintings-at-tate-innovation-and-imagination-tickets-48845074934?utm_campaign=new_event_email&utm_medium=email&utm_source=eb_email&utm_term=viewmyevent_button ) Please bring your Eventbrite confirmation with you and please note that people who have not booked through Eventbrite will not be allowed in. -- Dr. Donatella Banti e-mail: [email protected] ****** Unsubscribe by sending a message to [email protected] Searchable archives: http://cool.conservation-us.org/byform/mailing-lists/cdl/
