The artwork, titled “Illustration to ‘A Week of Kindness,'” is a collage created by Max Ernst in 1934 in Paris, France. This piece, representative of the Surrealism art movement, is composed on paper and measures 18 x 13 cm. It belongs to the genre of illustration and is part of the series “A Week of Kindness.” The artwork is currently housed in the Staatsgalerie Stuttgart in Stuttgart, Germany.
The artwork presents a surreal and unsettling scene set within a well-furnished interior. At the center, a woman in a dark dress kneels on the floor, seemingly engaged with peculiar dragon-like creatures. To her left, a man stands by a mantel, with his back to the viewer, in a posture that suggests contemplation or despair. To the right, a group of men, dressed in formal attire, appear to be engaged in a discrete conversation or action. Above, a framed picture hangs on the wall, depicting a figure in a deeply sorrowful pose, his head buried in his arms. The scene is imbued with a sense of mystery and contradiction, typical of Ernst’s surrealistic approach, and evokes an array of possible narratives and emotions.
