Surrealism - Rene Magritte

I only chose one artist for this assignment because I had so much to say about him and his works. I did use several specific works and he, as well as the movement I chose to talk about, are on the list of this week's artists and periods.

Surrealism was a movement that was started by Freud and was developed in the artist's mind. Each surreal painting is like a window to the inner working of the creating artist's mind, heart, conscience, and/or subconscious. That window can be foggy, dirty, smudged, warped, or cracked so the view may be distorted and unclear except to the artist alone.

One of the Surrealist artists I chose to do a web quest on is Rene Magritte. He is very well known for his "pictured-objects" such as the "Eternally Obvious" paintings seen here: http://www.menil.org/exhibitions/images/78-004a-eDJ_HiRes.jpg with his wife as the model for all but the breasts which are of a younger model's due to their perkiness (The Eternally Obvious, 1948). The second rendering of this same title "Eternally Obvious" seen here: http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/images/h2/h2_2002.456.12a-f.jpg is of a blonde model at a more direct angle than the one mentioned above.

Magritte also is famous for those paintings with the man in a hat with an apple in front of his face, seen here: http://i283.photobucket.com/albums/kk313/Frekkken_snork/ClioTeam1964MagritteLeFilsdelHomme1.jpg but neither this or the "pictured objects" above are my favorites of his. One of my favorites is Attempting the Impossible, seen here: http://www.fotos.org/galeria/data/570/Rene-Magritte-Attempting-The-Impossible.jpg of Magritte painting what appears to almost be a sculpture of a nude woman. He has her entire body painted with exception to her left arm in the painting which he is painting into life. This painting is such a unique thought and I feel is very lovely. Of all the things this man could "paint to life" in his mind, he chose a woman. This to me tells of his love or desire for love, companionship, and a partner.

The second painting of his that I really like is called The Dangerous Liaison seen here: http://neuromantiker.files.wordpress.com/2008/12/4-magritte-rene-the-dangerous-liaison.jpg of a nude young woman facing the artist and holding a large mirror in front of her that covers her shoulders all the way down to the very tops of her thighs. In the mirror is reflected the same model, farther back against the same wall in a different perspective. While her middle is cut out by the mirror, it is put right back in by the reflection of the mirror but from a rear, side view. The oddness of this painting, as well as the name "dangerous liaison," is confusing yet very interesting. "Where does this conflict come from" (Art of the 21st Century)? Does it mean that Magritte was having an affair with this model or maybe that he would have liked to? Perhaps it is just showing the dangers of having a beautiful nude model of the opposite sex in one's presence. It strikes me that some of Magritte's works, if not surreal in their composition could be considered realistic because of his style of painting.Works Cited

Art of the 21st Century. 20 September 2009 < http://www.all-art.org/art_20th_century/magritte3.html >.

The Eternally Obvious, 1948. 01 October 2006. 20 September 2009 < http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/ho/11/euwl/ho_2002.456.12a-f.htm >.