Stratified Rocks, Nature's Gift of Gneiss Lava Iceland Moss 2 kinds of lungwort 2 kinds of ruptures of the perinaeum growths of the heart b) the same thing in a well-polished little box somewhat more expensive (schichtgestein naturgabe aus gneis lava isländisch moos 2 sorten lungenkraut 2 sorten dammriss/herzgewächse b) dasselbe in fein poliertem kästchen etwas teurer)

Stratified Rocks, Nature's Gift of Gneiss Lava Iceland Moss 2 kinds of lungwort 2 kinds of ruptures of the perinaeum growths of the heart b) the same thing in a well-polished little box somewhat more expensive (schichtgestein naturgabe aus gneis lava isländisch moos 2 sorten lungenkraut 2 sorten dammriss/herzgewächse b) dasselbe in fein poliertem kästchen etwas teurer) by Max Ernst is a foundational work of the Dada movement, executed in 1920. This complex drawing utilizes gouache and pencil applied directly onto printed paper, which is then mounted onto cardstock, a technique that highlights the artist's early interest in collage and juxtaposition. Created during a transitional period in the French avant-garde, the piece demonstrates the critical shift from Dada’s outright nihilism toward the psychological depth that would characterize Surrealism.

The artwork’s exceptionally long, catalogue-like German title is integral to its subversive nature. It compiles dry, pseudo-scientific terminology—listing geological materials such as gneiss lava and Iceland moss alongside specific botanical growths (lungwort) and severe medical conditions like ruptures of the perinaeum and growths of the heart. Ernst intentionally undermines rational order by forcing these disparate, high-precision concepts into a single descriptive frame.

Visually, the composition adopts the precise draftsmanship and rigid lines associated with 19th-century technical illustration. Ernst fills the space with illogical machine-figures and hybrid forms, using the mechanical language of engineering to depict scenes of subconscious absurdity. This systematic approach to depicting the irrational served as a pointed critique of the industrial age’s reliance on logic and classification. The work’s technique, combining hand-applied gouache with pre-existing printed matter, emphasizes the Dadaist rejection of originality and the embrace of mechanical chance.

This significant 1920 drawing, representing Ernst’s deep engagement with the period’s French intellectual scene, remains a crucial example of the precursors to Surrealism. The work is held in the collection of the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA).