Ghost Ships A Surrealist Love Triangle
“Ghost Ships: A Surrealist Love Triangle” by Robert McNab, published by Yale University Press in January 2004, is a 266-page exploration of love, jealousy, and travel within the context of the Surrealist movement. This first edition delves into the lives of three pivotal figures: painter Max Ernst, poet Paul Eluard, and Eluard’s wife, Gala. The narrative retraces a significant journey taken just before the formal inception of Surrealism in 1924, highlighting the complexities of their relationships against a backdrop of exotic locales.
Readers will find a detailed account of the trio’s secret voyage, which leads to a dramatic unraveling of their love triangle. The book describes Ernst’s affair with Gala, Eluard’s mysterious disappearance, and the subsequent pursuit that culminates in Saigon. The journey profoundly influences the artistic directions of both Ernst and Eluard, with Eluard’s experiences shaping his political writings and Ernst’s encounters inspiring a series of impactful artworks. Themes of art, history, and travel are intricately woven throughout, offering insights into the personal and artistic transformations that arose from this remarkable expedition.
Official synopsis Publisher
A moving and spectacular tale of love, jealousy, and exotic travel, centering on three significant figures in the Surrealist movement
Travel and exploration fascinated the Surrealists, who crossed continents marveling at their diversity. This riveting book retraces one of their most important and exciting voyages, made on the eve of the birth of Surrealism in 1924. It describes the secret journey made by an extraordinary ménage à trois: the painter Max Ernst, Paul Eluard (cofounder of Surrealism with André Breton), and Eluard’s wife Gala.
Robert McNab unravels the story of Ernst’s love affair with Gala, Eluard’s disappearance, Ernst and Gala’s pursuit of him, their meeting in Saigon, where the love triangle came apart, and the resulting departure of the Eluards, who left Ernst to explore the jungles of French Indochina alone. The impact of the journey on the work of both men was profound: what Eluard saw of European colonial life turned him into a radical political writer, while the oceans, tropical jungle, and ruins at Angkor Wat had a lasting effect on Ernst’s painting and sculpture. As for Gala, she eventually dropped both her lovers for Salvador Dali, breaking Eluard’s heart and inspiring Ernst to paint more than one hundred furious portraits of her.
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