The effect of Decalcomania printing technique on Max Ernst's art

This dissertation examines Max Ernst's exploration of what's called the "decalcomania monotype printing technique" which he started using 1930s onwards. First examples of the decalcomania monotype printing technique bear the signature of the Spanish artist Óscar Domínguez (1906-1957) dating from 1936, applied generally as black and white on paper. This technique, which reveals random images, has been widely considered to be the "automatism of painting" -- the graphic equivalent of "automatic writing" used by fiction writers and poets. Max Ernst, an important contributor to surrealism, brings together the unconscious and art -- his origin, personal life, education as well as the artists, writers, thinkers he was in touch with along with the political events of his lifetime, the environments he lived in, animals, geological formations and folk tales have all been influential on his works. Max Ernst's use of the decalcomania technique coincides with a timeframe that has seen some of his monumental works, which is widely acclaimed as the maturity period of his career. He perfected this technique and brought different perspectives to its application which firmly puts him among the most skillful practitioners of this technique to date. In this thesis, the works made by Max Ernst with the decalcomania Ernst, Max technique are examined within the context of historical events that transpired during his lifetime.