In 1921 Ernst painted The Elephant Celebes, the first substantial masterpiece of Ernst's early Surrealist phase. It was likely inspired by his war experience, the mechanistic elephant like a tank and the smoke trail in the sky suggesting a shot down aircraft. Fragments of body parts that appear in Ernst's work could have been associated with the actual battle field of horrific images and devastation.
       The fragmented body parts have also been historically interpreted as Surreal and fantasy psychological and modern symbols of disassociation of the body from the mind. With Ernst's background of psychology and his experience in the battlefield of WW1 it is likely that both were large influences on his artwork.