The artwork titled “Illustration to ‘A Week of Kindness’,” created by Max Ernst in 1934 in Paris, France, exemplifies the Surrealism art movement. Executed with collage and paper, the artwork measures 18 by 13 centimeters and belongs to the illustration genre, specifically within the series “A Week of Kindness.” It is currently housed at the Staatsgalerie Stuttgart in Stuttgart, Germany.
The artwork encapsulates a tableau of figures in a domestic setting, replete with surreal and unsettling elements. In the foreground, a woman kneels on the floor, engaged in an act that appears both ordinary and bizarre as she interacts with a small dragon-like creature beside her. To her left, a man in traditional attire bows his head, possibly in contemplation or shame, while other figures in the background seem engaged in mundane activities, adding an eerie normalcy to the surreal scene. On the left side of the artwork, a large framed picture within the scene depicts a man, seemingly in sorrowful reflection, resting his face on his hands. The juxtaposition of the everyday setting with the fantastical elements, such as the dragon, creates a dream-like, disorienting atmosphere characteristic of Ernst’s surrealist vision.
