The Idol (L'Idole) from Natural History (Histoire naturelle)

The Idol (L'Idole) from Natural History (Histoire naturelle) by Max Ernst, created in 1925 and published in 1926, is a seminal work within the history of Surrealist prints. This piece is a collotype, derived from one of 34 compositions that comprise the artist's groundbreaking portfolio, Histoire naturelle. The core methodology employed by Ernst was frottage, a technique he formalized in August 1925. Frottage, derived from the French word for rubbing, involves placing paper over textured materials, such as wood grain or leaves, and then rubbing the surface with charcoal or pencil to capture the relief patterns.

Ernst used this process to circumvent conscious control, allowing random textures to suggest dream-like, often anthropomorphic or natural forms, consistent with the aims of the French Surrealist movement of the period. The technique allowed the physical properties of the source material to dictate the composition, transforming mundane textures into potent, evocative images of the subconscious. In The Idol, the resulting graphic pattern suggests a primitive, standing figure, perhaps a deity or totem, shrouded in the organic, fibrous texture captured through the frottage process. This method blurred the line between automatic drawing and mechanical reproduction.

The complete portfolio, published in 1926, represented Ernst’s first major presentation of frottage works to the public. As a print from this highly influential French collection, the work solidified Ernst’s reputation as a key innovator in graphic arts, particularly through his systematic incorporation of chance operations into art-making. The piece captures a decisive moment when the artist moved beyond conventional drawing toward the utilization of found objects and mechanical processes to create imagery. This important example of Surrealist graphic art, a collotype after frottage, is held in the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA).