Aquis Submersus

Aquis Submersus (1919) is a painting by the German dadaist/surrealist Max Ernst. It is one of Ernst’s earliest known surrealist works. It depicts a swimming pool surrounded by buildings. The sense of dimension is unclear. The features of the buildings appear to be hand-drawn. The buildings leave shadows against the sky like a wall. Hanging in the sky is a clock that reflects on the water as a moon. In the foreground is a figure that appears to have been made out of clay. It bears the handlebar mustache that was worn by Ernst’s father. The painting carries the same name as a famous novella by Theodor Storm, published in 1876.