He Will Fall Far from Here (Il tombera loin d'ici) from Natural History (Histoire naturelle)

He Will Fall Far from Here (Il tombera loin d'ici) from Natural History (Histoire naturelle) is a seminal work by Max Ernst, created circa 1925 and published in 1926 as part of a defining Surrealist portfolio. This print is one of 34 collotypes derived from the artist’s revolutionary technique, frottage (rubbing). Ernst, a central figure in the French Surrealist movement, invented frottage in 1925 as a method of automated creation, transferring the accidental textures of mundane objects- such as wood grain, leaves, or netting- directly onto paper through rubbing.

The resultant imagery, captured and reproduced here as a collotype, provided Ernst with forms that bypassed conscious planning, perfectly aligning with Surrealism’s emphasis on the subconscious and dream logic. The entire collection, titled Histoire naturelle (Natural History), utilized this technique to conjure uncanny, biomorphic visions that simulate geological forms, bizarre flora, and cosmic events.

This specific piece, He Will Fall Far from Here (Il tombera loin d'ici), evokes a sense of desolate vastness and motion. The composition, built from transformed organic textures, suggests a figure or object tumbling through a distorted landscape or across an immense plain, defying conventional spatial orientation. Ernst masterfully utilizes the print medium to enhance the illusion of texture and depth, transforming simple rubbings into complex, mythological vignettes. The prints from this portfolio are critical historical documents of the period, demonstrating the creative potential of new image-making processes.

Originally created c. 1925, the series had a profound impact upon its publication in 1926, solidifying Ernst’s reputation as a key innovator of modernist art. This powerful example of the Surrealist technique is now housed in the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art, New York.