Stallion and Bride of the Wind (L'Étalon et la fiancée du vent) from Natural History (Histoire naturelle) is a seminal work by Max Ernst, created circa 1925 and published the following year, 1926. This piece is one of thirty-four collotypes that make up the groundbreaking Surrealist portfolio, which fundamentally introduced the technique of frottage (rubbing) to the modern art world.
The French Surrealist movement relied heavily on automatism and chance operations to bypass conscious control. Ernst achieved this through frottage, a method involving placing paper over textured surfaces-such as wood grain or leaves-and rubbing with graphite or crayon. This transfer process generated seemingly random, evocative forms, establishing a new visual vocabulary rooted in the subconscious. In Stallion and Bride of the Wind, the abstract, highly textured marks evoke dynamic organic and geological structures, suggesting a mythical interplay between elemental forces and animalistic energy, themes often explored in Surrealist depictions of the natural world.
The resulting print blurs the lines between abstraction and representation, appearing simultaneously like a strange landscape, a biological specimen, and a psychological projection. Produced during a critical period in the development of Surrealism, this portfolio defined Ernst's aesthetic for much of the 1920s. While the original drawings were unique frottages, they were reproduced here as high-quality collotype prints, allowing for the precise, mechanical translation of the delicate graphite texture. This method ensured that the subtle, evocative effects of the rubbing technique were accessible in the published portfolio, making Histoire naturelle one of the most widely circulated and influential print series of the era. This significant piece of French modernist printmaking, dating from c. 1925 and published 1926, is held in the collection of the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA).
Important: ArtBee makes no warranties about the copyright status of this artwork. To the best of our knowledge, based on information from the source museum, we believe this work is in the public domain.
You are responsible for determining the rights status and securing any permissions needed for your use. Copyright status may vary by jurisdiction. See our License & Usage page and Terms of Service for details.