Rene François Ghislain Magritte was a Belgian surrealist artist, who at the peak of his career, was known for creating art that made one’s gears turn.  They were witty and thought-provoking, and of his many pieces that he’d made, my personal favorite is called “Not to be Reproduced”.  It depicts a well-dressed, younger aged male looking into a mirror, his back turned to the viewer only for his reflection to not be visible.  Or at least, not in the traditional sense.  The viewer will notice that the reflection isn’t necessarily a reflection, but rather an exact copy of the man from the view of the person looking at the art.  It’s kind of funny, you know?  To put it into perspective, it’d be like watching from the lens of a camera whilst the camera perfectly depicts your movement and shows it taking place.  A paradox of sorts.  That’s exactly what I love about his art.  It’s comical how it contradicts itself, in a sense.  He made the impossible possible and the satirical, contradictory, and aesthetically pleasing work he’d made has never gone unnoticed.  One could say his work was all about questioning boundaries.

A notable feature from his work was the lack of a face.  I like that a lot, in all actuality.  You see, with a face, you can determine the expression of someone.  Said expression can be used to find out what they want, need, or rely on.  That being said, the lack of a face makes you think.  It makes you curious as to what is going on.  Surrealism in general has that kind of effect.  It makes you think.  I keep on talking on and on about how it makes you think, yet I’ve only given one example.  Ladies and gentleman, I present to you an oddity of a paradox.  Known as “The Treachery of Images”, the painting is that of a pipe with the phrase “Ceci n’est pas une pipe” which translates to “This is not a pipe”.  Of course, the caption is correct.  It’s not a pipe, rather an image of one.  The titles seem to relay a pattern, too.  I’m pulling at straws here, so let’s get to another example of Rene being Magritte.

Rene Magritte was also known for his paintings containing a bowler hat, known as… “The Son of Man”.  Portrayed in the painting is a simple guy dressed in a black suit with a red tie wearing a bowler hat with his face covered completely.  That’s a common theme with all his drawings, actually.  Lack of expre- I’ve said this already!  Hold on.  Script… script… script… Ah, here we are.  “The painting, while complete and fulfilled, is incapable of doing much without interpretation from the person viewing the painting.  That is to say, the painting itself is merely a way to weave an idea.  Not Rene Magritte’s idea, but your own.