“Stop to examine this intriguing painting by Max Ernst, where two mysterious, sand-textured bird-like creatures emerge from a dreamlike landscape, framed by cork. It's a prime example of Surrealist art, inviting you to ponder the boundary between reality and imagination.”
A pair of strange, bird-like forms emerges from a textured, dreamlike landscape in Max Ernst's "Untitled (Birds)." The forms, rendered with a tactile mix of oil and sand, appear almost fossilized, their surfaces rough and granular. One creature, a slender neck topped with a small head, gazes toward the left, while its companion, a more robust, winged shape, seems to hover or perch nearby. The background is a swirling expanse of blues and grays, suggesting a vast, indeterminate space. The work’s unique cork frame, crafted by the artist himself, further blurs the line between painting and object, inviting viewers to consider the artwork as a complete, self-contained world. This piece reflects the Surrealist movement's fascination with the subconscious and the irrational, transforming familiar imagery into something unsettling and new.
- Artist
- Max Ernst
- Date
- 1924
- Medium
- Oil and sand on linen mounted on Masonite pressed-wood board, with cork frame by the artist
- Location
- Art Institute of Chicago
What to Notice
Four details hide in plain sight. Here’s where to look.
The gritty texture of the birds, created with sand mixed into the paint.
The cork frame, made by the artist, which acts as an extension of the artwork.
The way the two bird-like figures interact, or seem to ignore each other.
The swirling, indistinct background, suggesting a nebulous environment.
Stand in front of it and listen
The full narration walks you through Untitled (Birds) — the story behind it, the details most visitors miss, and why it matters. Free in the Art Whisper app.
Max Ernst
1891–1976 · CubaMax Ernst, a pioneer of Dada and Surrealism, invented techniques like frottage and grattage, transforming everyday textures into visionary art.
Further Works by Ernst
Dada Gauguin
1920 · Art Institute of Chicago
The Blue Forest
1925 · Art Institute of Chicago
Garden Airplane-Trap
1935 · Art Institute of Chicago
Spanish Physician
1940 · Art Institute of Chicago
Summer Night in Arizona
1944 · Art Institute of Chicago
Halleluiah
1948 · Art Institute of Chicago
Mattamathics
1948 · Art Institute of Chicago
Forest and Sun
National Gallery of Victoria
More from Surrealism
More works to explore
Beyond Ernst and Surrealism: works from the same years.
Same era · 1900s–1930s
Lozenge Composition with Yellow, Black, Blue, Red, and Gray
Piet Mondrian · 1921 · Art Institute of Chicago
Same era · 1900s–1930s
Memories of the Past
Ivan Puni · 1927 · Art Institute of Chicago
Same era · 1900s–1930s
Straße mit Passanten bei Nachtbeleuchtung
Ernst Ludwig Kirchner · 1927 · Museum Frieder Burda
Same era · 1900s–1930s
American Gothic
Okada Saburosuke · 1930 · Art Institute of Chicago
Same era · 1900s–1930s
Bull's Head
Mikhail Larionov · 1913 · Tretyakov Gallery
Same era · 1900s–1930s
Asiatic God
Paul Klee · 1924 · Art Institute of Chicago
Same era · 1900s–1930s
The Three O'Clock Sitting
Henri Matisse · 1924 · The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Same era · 1900s–1930s
The Praying Jew
Marc Chagall · 1923 · Art Institute of Chicago
Same era · 1900s–1930s
The Fiddler
Norman Rockwell · 1921 · Brandywine Museum of Art
Same era · 1900s–1930s
Abstraction: Background with Blue Cloudy Sky
Pablo Picasso · 1930 · Art Institute of Chicago
Same era · 1900s–1930s
American Gothic
Grant Wood · 1930 · Art Institute of Chicago
Same era · 1900s–1930s
Man and Trees, Florida
John Singer Sargent · 1917 · The Metropolitan Museum of Art