Entry 439 — A Textual Design by Max Ernst
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This is Erectio sine qua non, by Max Ernst, 1919. I copied it out of Surrealst Drawings, with text by Frantisek Smejkal. I view it as letters taking shape, with other forms, to eventually result in an erection that can be taken to be “meaning” formed of language. Other interpretations of equal validity can be made. Although I made out two words under the faucet, they seem to me much to minor to make this pice a visual poem. Nor, of course, does the book it’s in call it that. Remember, kids, as Uncle Bob keeps telling you, a word should always mean something, but it should always indicate something that it isn’t, or it’s useless. So, if you want to call this neato visimage a visual poem, fine–but Uncle Bob, and maybe one or two other people, will want to know what isn’t a visual poem.