A pioneer of both the Surrealist and Dada movements, German artist Max Ernst created what many consider to be the first Surrealist painting. One of the first painters to apply ideologies from Sigmund Freud’s “The Interpretation of Dreams”, Ernst spearheaded Surrealism with the dreamlike imagery and distorted perceptions of life which are prevalent in his work.
Men Shall Know Nothing of This was the first Surrealist painting. Ernst had studied psychology in school and was fascinated by delusions of the insane and their subconsciousness. 
The Elephant Celebes was Ernst’s first large painting, painted in 1921.
Forced into an artillery division of the German army in WWI, Ernst beared witness to horrible atrocities which fueled his rejection of reality, which he saw as irrational. He had been interested in painting since his father taught him as a young boy, so after the war he decided to take on the role of full-time artist. Despite his idiosyncratic personality which was imbued into his work, he gained many followers throughout his life and deeply influenced art as a whole.
Sources:
https://www.max-ernst.com/men-shall-know-nothing-of-this.jsp
Kathrin,
Excellent work on your recent posts here on FM Brown to Ernst. Plenty of solid research and your writing and personal insights and feelings for the works is what I’m looking for. Keep it up, only two more to go.
Jeff