Max Ernst: "The hundred headless woman" and the eternal return

Abstract

Max Ernst often responded to the thought of the philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche in his art in the 1920's. This study approaches the collage-novel, "The Hundred Headless Woman", from the perspective of Nietzsche's concept of the 'eternal return', suggested by imagery in the novel. The study offers a brief iconographical context for the concept of 'eternal return', and examines key images in Ernst's response to this concept. The discordant superimposing of layers of meaning and the refutation of rationality in the novel are considered in terms of the disorientation of time, seriality and the principle of identity implied by the perspectivism of Nietzsche's concept of the 'eternal return'. The study argues that Ernst's assimilation of Nietzsche's ideas and concepts is exceptionally sophisticated, and suggests that it significantly anticipates some of the concerns in the reinterpretations of Nietzsche by recent French philosophers.

In sy kuns van die 1920's reageer Max Ernst voortdurend op die denke van die filosoof Friedrich Nietzsche. Hierdie studie benader die collage-roman, "The Hundred Headless Woman", vanaf die vertrekpunt van Nietzsche se konsep van die 'ewige wederkeer', gesuggereer deur beelde in die roman. Die studie plaas die konsep van die 'ewige wederkeer' kortliks binne 'n ikonografiese konteks, en ondersoek sentrale beelde in Ernst se reaksie op die konsep. Ernst se dissonante ooreenlegging van betekenislae en sy weerlegging van rasionaliteit, word oorweeg in terme van die disorientering van tyd, lineere denke en die beginsel van identiteit wat geimpliseer word deur die perspektivisme van Nietzsche se konsep van die 'ewige wederkeer'. Die studie argumenteer dat Ernst se gebruik van Nietzsche se idees en konsepte besonder gesofistikeerd is, en suggereer dat hy sommige van die belange in die herinterpretasie van Nietzsche in die onlangse Franse filosofie vooruitloop.