Nocturne, frontispiece for Nocturnal Notebook

During one sleepless night in May 1942, Masson made fourteen automatic drawings depicting his nocturnal visions. These spontaneously drawn, dream-like fantasies were later reproduced in the book Nocturnal Notebook, of 1944. Masson also created this print for the project, which was printed at Atelier 17 in New York and included in the deluxe edition of the book. Initiated during the same sleepless night in 1942, the print, like the drawings, incorporates many of the same biomorphic visions that seemed to emerge from his subconscious. Masson created the print using a soft-ground etching technique, which allows for working quickly and directly, like pen on paper. He also pressed various fabrics into the etching ground to create free-floating forms and phantom-like shapes. The result is a surrealist vision of unearthly resonance.