The Virgin Spanking the Christ Child before Three Witnesses:
Andre Breton, Paul Eluard, and the Painter
At first glance one can immediately see the drastic change in pose of this familiar religious duo; this is no ordinary painting of the Virgin and Christ child. Gone is the angelic façade, Christ’s halo has fallen to the floor and he receives a spanking for his misdeed. This disrespectful and blasphemous treatment of two central figures of the Catholic Church was typical of the Dada movement and Surrealism, and caused much scandal during this time. This painting was created in Paris, 1926 by Max Ernst, a pioneer in these movements. It is entitled The Virgin Spanking the Christ Child before Three Witnesses: Andre Breton, Paul Eluard, and the Painter. The three “witnesses” in the window are himself and two members of the French Surrealistic Movement. What I find appealing in this work is actually the subject matter rather than the painting style, as I don’t find the distorted shapes and heavy shadows attractive. I also find comic relief in the painting, at the thought of a Christ Child who was human and made mistakes. From the Virgin’s determined face to the red buttocks of Christ, it is a painting which immediately evokes a response in the viewer.
The Dada movement began during World War I and had an anti-war political agenda. Rejecting the prevailing standards in art, the artists of this movement created anti-art. Dada in turn led to Surrealism, a movement that plunged into the world of dreams and the subconscious. And someplace in between was Max Ernst, an artist who was heavily influenced by WWI. Ernst served in the German army during this war, and it had such a profound effect on him he wrote in his autobiography “Max Ernst died the 1st of August, 1914”. Experiencing the horrors of war obviously left Ernst yearning for a change, and he was a prominent artist in the Dada movement and Surrealism in the years to follow. Max Ernst also entertained a fascination with birds, one in particular that he called Loplop was said to be his alter ego. So influential was this bird that it even appeared in other artists’ works. Knowing human psychology, it only makes sense that Ernst would feel the need to rebel and separate himself from that which he found so disturbing.
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LeahRenee's Blog 
I wanted to call your attention to the unusual depiction of space in this work. The deep perspective and almost claustrophobically narrow space are also a part of the dream setting. So many times in our dreams we experience a skewed depiction of space. That skewing of the background in this painting compounds the surreal subject matter.
By: Lisa Kljaich on November 13, 2009
at 3:30 am
Hello Leah Renee,
I recently recommended this painting to my daughter who was looking for an interesting piece to write her first college research paper on. She promptly did a Google search and came across your blog.
Strange twist of fate – not only am I also Leah, but I am also Leah Renee. Really boggled my mind, thought maybe I had been blogging in my sleep. Weirder still – seems you posted this blog the same week I told her to look this up…
By: Leah (renee) on November 19, 2009
at 2:41 am
What a perfect representation of the Dada Movement and anti-art depicted in this piece by Max Ernst. It definitally causes a negative reaction in me and my opinion for this theme but I understand this also holds various forms of other artistic attributes within the formatting that enhance the arts. This period what indicative of artistic freedom, expression, and creativity no matter who liked the end resolve this was a trying period between the WWI and WWII. You also provided great supporting details to not only this piece but of the artist and their role linked to WWI.
By: ahutsen on March 22, 2010
at 11:53 pm