''Little Machine Constructed by Minimax Dadamax in Person (Von minimax dadamax selbst konstruiertes maschinchen)'' (1919–20) is a mixed-media work of art by the German

dada Dada () or Dadaism was an art movement of the European avant-garde in the early 20th century, with early centres in Zürich, Switzerland, at the Cabaret Voltaire (in 1916). New York Dada began c. 1915, and after 1920 Dada flourished in Pari ...

ist and

surrealist Surrealism is a cultural movement that developed in Europe in the aftermath of World War I in which artists depicted unnerving, illogical scenes and developed techniques to allow the unconscious mind to express itself. Its aim was, according to ...

Max Ernst Max Ernst (2 April 1891 – 1 April 1976) was a German (naturalised American in 1948 and French in 1958) painter, sculptor, printmaker, graphic artist, and poet. A prolific artist, Ernst was a primary pioneer of the Dada movement and Surrealis ...

. It is probably the most famous example of a series of Ernst's works that were based on diagrams of scientific instruments. The work began by creating print reproductions of these diagrams. They were then colored and textured with a combination of

watercolor Watercolor (American English) or watercolour (British English; see spelling differences), also ''aquarelle'' (; from Italian diminutive of Latin ''aqua'' "water"), is a painting method”Watercolor may be as old as art itself, going back to ...

gouache Gouache (; ), body color, or opaque watercolor is a water-medium paint consisting of natural pigment, water, a binding agent (usually gum arabic or dextrin), and sometimes additional inert material. Gouache is designed to be opaque. Gouache ...

and pencil and ink frottage. Frottage is a technique created by Ernst that involves creating rubbings of different textured surfaces like wood and textiles to give the work a three-dimensional appearance. The work also displays Ernst's interest in

typography Typography is the art and technique of arranging type to make written language legible, readable and appealing when displayed. The arrangement of type involves selecting typefaces, point sizes, line lengths, line-spacing ( leading), ...

. Many of the shapes in the machine can be seen as letters. At the bottom is an inscription that reads "Little machine constructed by Minimax Dadamax in person for fearless pollination of female suckers at the beginning of the change of life and for other such fearless functions."

Sources

*Max Ernst, ''Little Machine Constructed by Minimax Dadamax in Person'

Paintings by Max Ernst Paintings in Venice {{20C-painting-stub