The artwork titled “Illustration to ‘A Week of Kindness'” was created by Max Ernst in 1934 in Paris, France. Rendered in collage on paper, the piece falls within the Surrealism art movement. It measures 18 by 13 centimeters and belongs to the genre of illustration. This particular piece is part of the “A Week of Kindness” series and is housed at Staatsgalerie Stuttgart in Stuttgart, Germany.
The artwork features an intriguing and surreal scene, characteristic of Ernst’s unique style. Central to the composition is a woman kneeling on the floor with her hands in front of her, accompanied by a small, fantastical creature resembling a dragon. To the left, a seated man in profile appears to be deeply bowed and pensive within a framed picture on the wall, creating a metafictional element. The room is furnished with elegant chairs and an ornate mantle, accentuating the backdrop. Several men dressed in 19th-century attire are positioned throughout the scene, some engaging with one another, while one man in the foreground seems to be observing the kneeling woman. The surreal juxtaposition of the realistic and the fantastical elements adds an eerie, dream-like quality to the piece, in keeping with the hallmarks of Surrealism.
