[Script Info]
Title: 
[Events]
Format: Layer, Start, End, Style, Name, MarginL, MarginR, MarginV, Effect, Text
Dialogue: 0,0:00:00.38,0:00:03.38,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,(jazzy piano music)
Dialogue: 0,0:00:04.61,0:00:06.05,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,- [Steven] We're in the\NMuseum of Modern Art.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:06.05,0:00:08.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And we're looking at a\Npainting by Max Ernst,
Dialogue: 0,0:00:08.00,0:00:10.48,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Two Children Are Threatened\Nby a Nightingale,
Dialogue: 0,0:00:10.48,0:00:12.80,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and this isn't a painting\Nin the traditional sense.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:12.80,0:00:14.20,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,There's stuff in it.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:14.20,0:00:16.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,- [Beth] A lot of stuff, actually,
Dialogue: 0,0:00:16.00,0:00:18.85,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that emerges toward us from the painting.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:18.85,0:00:22.73,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,There's an open gate,\Nthere's a rudimentary house
Dialogue: 0,0:00:22.73,0:00:25.88,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,with some other objects\Nstuck on top of it.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:25.88,0:00:28.23,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And there's something\Nthat looks like a knob.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:28.23,0:00:30.61,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,- [Steven] And despite\Nthese toy-like objects
Dialogue: 0,0:00:30.61,0:00:33.09,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that are nailed into the\Nsurface of the painting,
Dialogue: 0,0:00:33.09,0:00:35.78,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,there are references to\Nthe tradition of painting.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:35.78,0:00:37.97,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,There's a deep recessionary space
Dialogue: 0,0:00:37.97,0:00:40.67,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that's beautifully expressed\Nby linear perspective
Dialogue: 0,0:00:40.67,0:00:43.10,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and by atmospheric perspective,
Dialogue: 0,0:00:43.10,0:00:45.87,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,but tradition pretty much stops there.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:45.87,0:00:47.61,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,- [Beth] Including\Nobjects from everyday life
Dialogue: 0,0:00:47.61,0:00:51.62,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,had been done by Picasso and\NBraque about a decade earlier,
Dialogue: 0,0:00:51.62,0:00:55.58,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,but in those paintings we\Nsee forms that still cohere.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:55.58,0:00:58.62,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,What we have here is something\Nthat was very important
Dialogue: 0,0:00:58.62,0:01:01.20,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to Dadaist artists, and that\Nis the bringing together
Dialogue: 0,0:01:01.20,0:01:03.26,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,of really disparate objects.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:03.26,0:01:06.68,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,We see the title on this painted frame
Dialogue: 0,0:01:06.68,0:01:10.66,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and then we see a surface\Npainted with a thick impasto
Dialogue: 0,0:01:10.66,0:01:14.79,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,in very flat green and two\Nfigures painted in grisailles,
Dialogue: 0,0:01:14.79,0:01:17.08,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that is painted in grayish tones.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:17.08,0:01:18.61,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,- [Steven] These are both female figures.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:18.61,0:01:20.67,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The one that's upright seems to be running
Dialogue: 0,0:01:20.67,0:01:22.25,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,holding an enormous knife.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:22.25,0:01:24.50,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Her hair is flying up behind her,
Dialogue: 0,0:01:24.50,0:01:26.67,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and so there's a sense of\Nvelocity, a sense of drama
Dialogue: 0,0:01:26.67,0:01:29.78,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,which suggests that she's\Neither fleeing or chasing.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:29.78,0:01:32.38,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And it's completely unclear as to which.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:32.38,0:01:36.23,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,- [Beth] And she moves toward\Nthe outside of the painting.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:36.23,0:01:38.50,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And so if she is running from something
Dialogue: 0,0:01:38.50,0:01:40.06,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,we don't see anything behind her.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:40.06,0:01:41.76,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And we certainly don't see anything
Dialogue: 0,0:01:41.76,0:01:43.33,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that she could be running toward.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:43.33,0:01:45.92,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So we're missing a big\Npiece of that narrative.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:45.92,0:01:49.46,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And then this figure who is either asleep
Dialogue: 0,0:01:49.46,0:01:52.83,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,or wounded or dead in this green field.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:52.83,0:01:55.45,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,There is a feeling of danger.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:55.45,0:01:57.31,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Perhaps the woman on\Nthe left with the knife
Dialogue: 0,0:01:57.31,0:02:01.28,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,is reacting in some way to\Nthat figure on the ground.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:01.28,0:02:02.92,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,- [Steven] But they're far enough away
Dialogue: 0,0:02:02.92,0:02:04.77,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that they're also disassociated.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:04.77,0:02:06.74,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And that's the confusing part.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:06.74,0:02:08.52,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The woman with the\Nknife is running by her.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:08.52,0:02:12.14,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,She's not running at, or from\Nthe figure on the ground.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:12.14,0:02:14.62,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,- [Beth] I think that you\Nraise an important point
Dialogue: 0,0:02:14.62,0:02:17.08,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that they're not near one another,
Dialogue: 0,0:02:17.08,0:02:20.51,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,but we really can't judge\Ndistance here at all.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:20.51,0:02:24.17,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,That wall moves too quickly\Nback into that space.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:24.17,0:02:27.72,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Those forms in the background,\Nwhat looked like a wall,
Dialogue: 0,0:02:27.72,0:02:31.35,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,a triumphal arch, and behind\Nthat a domed structure
Dialogue: 0,0:02:31.35,0:02:34.73,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,perhaps with a minaret\Nor a wall around it,
Dialogue: 0,0:02:34.73,0:02:36.77,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,how far away are those?
Dialogue: 0,0:02:36.77,0:02:39.23,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,How far away other\Nfigures from one another?
Dialogue: 0,0:02:39.23,0:02:43.27,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The depth of that green field\Nis impossible to determine.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:43.27,0:02:46.52,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And then these objects\Nare really close to us.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:46.52,0:02:48.58,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,- [Steven] I always think\Nof this as metaphorical,
Dialogue: 0,0:02:48.58,0:02:52.25,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that that ancient Roman arch\Nis the distance of history.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:52.25,0:02:55.35,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And the domed architecture\Nreminds me at least
Dialogue: 0,0:02:55.35,0:02:59.24,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,of Renaissance paintings that\Nshow Jerusalem at a distance.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:59.24,0:03:01.24,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And so the distance is not only physical,
Dialogue: 0,0:03:01.24,0:03:03.58,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,but perhaps historical or metaphorical.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:03.58,0:03:05.07,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,- [Beth] And we shouldn't forget about
Dialogue: 0,0:03:05.07,0:03:08.97,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,what is perhaps the most\Nmenacing figure in the painting,
Dialogue: 0,0:03:08.97,0:03:11.02,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the figure who alights on the roof
Dialogue: 0,0:03:11.02,0:03:12.55,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,as though he's been flying
Dialogue: 0,0:03:12.55,0:03:16.72,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,with just his right toes carrying a child,
Dialogue: 0,0:03:16.72,0:03:19.54,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and like the female\Nfigure carrying the knife,
Dialogue: 0,0:03:19.54,0:03:21.69,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,reaches out his arm and moves toward
Dialogue: 0,0:03:21.69,0:03:23.78,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,outside the frame of the painting.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:23.78,0:03:25.64,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,- [Steven] In fact, he\Nalmost seems to be trying
Dialogue: 0,0:03:25.64,0:03:27.55,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to reach or touch the knob
Dialogue: 0,0:03:27.55,0:03:29.93,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that is physically attached to the frame.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:29.93,0:03:33.03,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And like the figures below\Nthe child and the man
Dialogue: 0,0:03:33.03,0:03:34.53,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,are painted in grisailles,
Dialogue: 0,0:03:34.53,0:03:38.25,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,which some art historians\Nhave noted reminds them
Dialogue: 0,0:03:38.25,0:03:41.66,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,of Ernst's earlier collages,\Nwhere he would cut out
Dialogue: 0,0:03:41.66,0:03:44.11,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,black and white photographs or drawings
Dialogue: 0,0:03:44.11,0:03:45.30,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and paste them together.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:45.30,0:03:47.89,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,There is a fifth figure\Nalso painted in grisailles.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:47.89,0:03:50.40,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And that's a bird,\Npresumably the nightingale.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:50.40,0:03:52.05,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,- [Beth] The title tells us that this is
Dialogue: 0,0:03:52.05,0:03:54.04,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,about the menacing of the nightingale,
Dialogue: 0,0:03:54.04,0:03:56.56,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,this bird, which has a beautiful song
Dialogue: 0,0:03:56.56,0:03:58.45,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and which is supposed to seduce us,
Dialogue: 0,0:03:58.45,0:04:00.27,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,does the very opposite here.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:00.27,0:04:02.06,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,We have this immediate sense of things
Dialogue: 0,0:04:02.06,0:04:05.61,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that don't belong together,\Nsuggesting a dream.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:05.61,0:04:07.48,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,- [Steven] I would say that in this image
Dialogue: 0,0:04:07.48,0:04:10.06,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,things don't come together\Nin an aggressive way
Dialogue: 0,0:04:10.06,0:04:12.75,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that is a reminder of\Nthe art that was made
Dialogue: 0,0:04:12.75,0:04:16.02,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,by groups of artists in\NParis where this was made,
Dialogue: 0,0:04:16.02,0:04:18.09,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,in Cologne, where Ernst had come from,
Dialogue: 0,0:04:18.09,0:04:21.32,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,but also in New York, in Zurich, Berlin.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:21.32,0:04:24.02,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And in all of these places,\Nartists were responding
Dialogue: 0,0:04:24.02,0:04:26.09,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to the devastation of the First World War,
Dialogue: 0,0:04:26.09,0:04:28.61,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,of its uselessness, of its violence.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:28.61,0:04:30.69,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,- [Beth] The absurdity of the war,
Dialogue: 0,0:04:30.69,0:04:33.37,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the use of technology in that war.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:33.37,0:04:35.98,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,This is also the time of Freud,
Dialogue: 0,0:04:35.98,0:04:38.21,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,who Ernst was very interested in,
Dialogue: 0,0:04:38.21,0:04:40.10,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the idea of the unconscious,
Dialogue: 0,0:04:40.10,0:04:42.38,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,of things that can't be controlled.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:42.38,0:04:45.31,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And there are forms here\Nthat suggest the erotic
Dialogue: 0,0:04:45.31,0:04:47.90,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,or sexual meaning that would have been
Dialogue: 0,0:04:47.90,0:04:50.65,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,similar to the kinds of readings of Freud.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:50.65,0:04:54.23,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So what are the figures\Nhere afraid of precisely?
Dialogue: 0,0:04:54.23,0:04:56.73,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,- [Steven] Ernest went\Ninto the war in 1914
Dialogue: 0,0:04:56.73,0:04:58.56,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and didn't come out until the war's end.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:58.56,0:05:00.59,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,He served both on the Western Front
Dialogue: 0,0:05:00.59,0:05:01.91,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and on the Eastern Front.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:01.91,0:05:03.73,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And he was wounded when artillery
Dialogue: 0,0:05:03.73,0:05:05.53,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that he was manning recoiled.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:05.53,0:05:08.61,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,He had firsthand knowledge\Nof this devastation.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:08.61,0:05:11.94,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,- [Beth] And when he came\Nback from the war to Cologne,
Dialogue: 0,0:05:11.94,0:05:15.60,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,he came back to a city that\Nwas occupied by British forces
Dialogue: 0,0:05:15.60,0:05:19.52,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and political and\Neconomic chaos in Germany.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:19.52,0:05:22.82,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,- [Steven] And yet, despite\Nthis unprecedented violence,
Dialogue: 0,0:05:22.82,0:05:25.50,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,society was trying to\Nnormalize what had happened
Dialogue: 0,0:05:25.50,0:05:27.57,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and the Dadaists refused that.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:27.57,0:05:29.82,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And so Ernst does seem to be drawing on
Dialogue: 0,0:05:29.82,0:05:32.37,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,his interest in Freud and\Nespecially the interest
Dialogue: 0,0:05:32.37,0:05:35.27,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,in the irrational of the unconscious,
Dialogue: 0,0:05:35.27,0:05:38.62,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,of our state below our socialized beings.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:38.62,0:05:41.10,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,What made the work possible?
Dialogue: 0,0:05:41.10,0:05:44.10,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,(jazzy piano music)