THE FEELING OF BEING PURSUED

On the following pages id presents collages by the artist Max Ernst (1891–1976), who throughout the course of his life created a cycle of his visions. A collage unites diverse elements that are assembled and pasted together. As Ernst had written, “The absurdity of this accumulation of elements caused a sudden intensification of my visionary facilities and brought about a hallucinating succession of contradictory images.” His collages have a dream-like and sometimes threatening quality, much like this dream reported by Tom F.: “Sinister figures are after me. They’re wearing black hoodies, and I can’t see their faces. I run down a blind alley and try to escape over a wall, but I can’t jump high enough. I suddenly feel feeble, unable to move.” The faceless men symbolize an aspect of the dreamer’s life—perhaps he is plagued by guilty feelings or pangs of conscience. He feels paralyzed because he can no longer hold up under the pressure he’s enduring.