Bronze Age Gold from Wales

Ernst was haunted by the atmosphere of forests and by the birds which inhabit them. Here, the herring-bone effect of the trees and the grainy sky reveal his technique of 'grattage'. Layers of paint were applied to the canvas, which was pressed against a sheet of stamped metal and a rough plank and scraped. Born near Cologne, Ernst studied philosophy before becoming a leading Surrealist in Paris. This work was given to the Contemporary Art Society by Miss A.F. Brown in 1940.