Scars (Les Cicatrices) from Natural History (Histoire naturelle)

Scars (Les Cicatrices) from Natural History (Histoire naturelle) by Max Ernst is a seminal example of Surrealist printmaking, classified as one from a portfolio of 34 collotypes after frottage. Created in c. 1925 and published in 1926, this piece utilizes the mechanical drawing process Ernst invented in 1925, known as frottage. The technique involves placing paper over textured materials-such as wood grains, leaves, or netting-and then rubbing it with a pencil or chalk. This action captures the texture in precise detail, allowing the artist to generate imagery without reliance on conventional academic drawing.

The frottage process was critical to the French Surrealist movement because it acted as a form of automatic drawing, bypassing the conscious mind and drawing directly from the subconscious. Ernst considered the resulting patterns accidental discoveries, which he then elaborated upon to create fully realized, imaginary forms. The title, Scars (Les Cicatrices), suggests a reading of the texture as topographical maps of wounds or deep geological striations, transforming organic and inorganic materials into haunting biomorphic landscapes.

The resulting images were gathered into the pivotal portfolio Histoire naturelle (Natural History), a suite of prints that established the visual vocabulary for automatic art within the Surrealist canon. Although the original works were the frottage rubbings, the portfolio was issued as collotypes-a high-quality photomechanical print process necessary to capture the intricate shading and tactile detail of the originals for wider distribution. As a powerful demonstration of automatic art principles, this specific piece is housed in the collection of the Museum of Modern Art, underscoring its lasting historical importance within 20th-century print media.