René Magritte

René Magritte is such an interesting man. His artwork portays depth and mystery, things you'd only see in dreams. Each piece he has done reveals a message, maybe not clear at first, but hidden deep somewhere within. His way of viewing things were very creative and obscure. I enjoy staring confusingly at his artwork, turning my head various angles to understand his creations. I just really like that his paintings are thought-provoking, and gives me a sort of challenge. That is what makes him so unique, and his artwork so attractive.

René Magritte was born in Lessines, in the province of Hainaut, in 1898, the eldest son of Leopold Magritte, who was a tailor and textile merchant, and Regina, a milliner until her marriage. Little is known about Magritte's early life. He began lessons in drawing in 1910. On 12 March 1912, his mother committed suicide by drowning herself in the River Sambre. This was not her first attempt; she had made many over a number of years, driving her husband Leopold to lock her into her bedroom. One day she escaped, and was missing for days. She was later discovered a mile or so down the nearby river, dead. According to a legend, 13-year-old Magritte was present when her body was retrieved from the water, but recent research has discredited this story, which may have originated with the family nurse. Supposedly, when his mother was found, her dress was covering her face, an image that has been suggested as the source of several oil paintings Magritte painted in 1927-1928 of people with cloth obscuring their faces, including Les Amants.



The False Mirror - 1928
This particular piece happens to be one of my favorites done by him. I kind of have this fetish for the human eye, so I was attracted to this piece right away. What really caught my attention was the pupil and how it's made of blue sky and white clouds. Also while observing, I noticed that the eye was bare and lash-less. Strange, but intriguing. The contrast and sharpness of the pupil sought my attention instantly as well.


The Empire of Lights - 1954

When I first came upon this piece, I took a number of glances. I looked from top to bottom, and vice versa. Then I looked at it as a whole,  I felt a sort of trickery critiquing this one. I absolutely love the idea of the top portion portraying daylight and the bottom portraying night time. I was confused for a bit, but after realizing, I chuckled at myself. I did further researching and discovered that he had done quite a few of these "Empire of Light" paintings. Besides the illusion, I love how realistic the water looks. The reflection of the house, and even the house itself looks well defined.


     Overall, I can say that René Magritte was indeed an interesting man. Everything about him and his artwork gives you an interest to want to learn more about him. His artwork like no other and eye-catching point of views makes him unique. He was definitely not afraid to reveal his most provoking, inner thoughts to the world. In his words, "Only thought can resemble. It resembles by being what it sees, hears, or knows; it becomes what the world offers it.”