Surrealist artist Max Ernst defined collage as the "alchemy of the visual image." Students of his work have often dismissed this comment as simply a metaphor for the transformative power of using found images in a new context. Taking a wholly different perspective on Ernst and alchemy, however, M. E. Warlick persuasively demonstrates that the artist had a profound and abiding interest in alchemical philosophy and often used alchemical symbolism in works created throughout his career.A revival of interest in alchemy swept the artistic, psychoanalytic, historical, and scientific circles of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, and Warlick sets Ernst's work squarely within this movement. Looking at both his art (many of the works she discusses are reproduced in the book) and his writings, she reveals how thoroughly alchemical philosophy and symbolism pervade his early Dadaist experiments, his foundational work in surrealism, and his many collages and paintings of women and landscapes, whose images exemplify the alchemical fusing of opposites. This pioneering research adds an essential key to understanding the multilayered complexity of Ernst's works, as it affirms his standing as one of Germany's most significant artists of the twentieth century.

Max Ernst and Alchemy : A Magician in Search of Myth (Surrealist Revolution)

Arts & Photography

Warlick, M. E.

Individual Artists

University of Texas Press

Surrealist artist Max Ernst defined collage as the "alchemy of the visual image." Students of his work have often dismissed this comment as simply a metaphor for the transformative power of using found images in a new context. Taking a wholly different perspective on Ernst and alchemy, however, M. E. Warlick persuasively demonstrates that the artist had a profound and abiding interest in alchemical philosophy and often used alchemical symbolism in works created throughout his career.
A revival of interest in alchemy swept the artistic, psychoanalytic, historical, and scientific circles of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, and Warlick sets Ernst's work squarely within this movement. Looking at both his art (many of the works she discusses are reproduced in the book) and his writings, she reveals how thoroughly alchemical philosophy and symbolism pervade his early Dadaist experiments, his foundational work in surrealism, and his many collages and paintings of women and landscapes, whose images exemplify the alchemical fusing of opposites. This pioneering research adds an essential key to understanding the multilayered complexity of Ernst's works, as it affirms his standing as one of Germany's most significant artists of the twentieth century.

Max Ernst and Alchemy : A Magician in Search of Myth (Surrealist

History & Criticism

Alchemy, Jung reminded us, was less a science for turning lead into gold and more a philosophical quest for enlightenment. Now, with The Alchemy Stones, the traditional symbolism and techniques of alchemy have been marshaled for those seeking to clarify their everyday problems and choices. Twenty-eight stones inscribed with ancient alchemical symbols—representing the alchemists, their ingredients and tools, base elements, the seven planets, and the different stages of the alchemical process—provide a way for the user to find answers to their questions. Richly illustrated with traditional engravings, the book explains the history and philosophy of alchemy, relates traditional alchemical texts and illustrations to the alchemy stones, and presents five different ways to lay out the stones to address situations of different complexity. An elegant velvet bag to store the stones in is included.

The Alchemy Stones: Use the Wisdom of the Ancient Alchemists to Transform Your Life

Self-Help

Motivational

Da Capo Press

This uniquely interactive pack delves into the fascinating history and philosophy of alchemy. Twenty-eight stones inscribed with ancient alchemical symbols--representing the alchemists, their ingredients and tools, base elements, the seven planets, and the different stages of the alchemical process--are included with the 96-page book.

The Philosopher's Stones

Religion & Spirituality

Tuttle Pub

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Books by Warlick, M. E.