Rene Magritte

Rene Magritte.

René Magritte is one of the most famous surrealism painter as his images and colors appealed to almost everyone. There must be something in our subconscious that is in tune with the scenes created by this painter!

René Magritte was born on the 21st November, 1898 in Hainaut, Belgium. He was the oldest sun in the family. René lost his mother early and tragically – she committed suicide for unclear reasons.

Magritte studied in the Royal Academy of Arts in Brussels in 1910 (Académie Royale des Beaux-Arts). He became a wallpaper designer and commercial artist. His early painting works were executed under the influence of the Cubism and Futurism (1918-20), then he was inspired by the Purists and Fernand Léger. In 1922 Magritte married Georgette Berger, with whom he was familiar long time ago.

Although he originally came from the Province of Hainaut, Magritte spent most of his life in Brussels where he occupied, from 1915 to his death in 1967 no less than seven different places.

In 1927 Magritte opened his first exhibition, but unfortunately it was unsuccessful. After that he went to Paris and spent here several years. There he communicated with Max Ernst, Dali, Paul Eluard. While he was living in Paris, his painting manner of painting had changed. It became more technical- with clean draughtsmanship. They become unthinkable, unreal.

His first painting that he allowed to be labeled as "Surrealist" was “The Lost Jockey”.

As for all surrealists, in literature, painting or cinema, dreams and psychoanalysis were good keys for Magritte to apprehend a reality that anyway does not exist... A lot of his paintings looks like views from a dream, a game were reality is obliged to admit his limits.

As a proof, he was often repeating the same scenes in endless variations in different paintings.

Magritte is still one of the most influential painter in the graphic arts, his images being adapted by followers in a lot of modern media like: films, TV, illustrations and posters, publicity...

He was fond not only of painting, but also of philosophy, literature and cinema. Attracted by images, he was interested in cinema, the totally surrealistic media. He organized short films with the help of his friends: humor, surrealism, dreams were all applied. These films always remained private things.

He was also interested by the possibilities of photography and realized some works with this technique.

In the 1940’s Magritte made two attempts to change his painting style. But this style wasn’t so interesting as his previously style, so he decided to returned to his previous manner.

From the early fifties, Magritte fame grew internationally and more and more exhibition of his works were shown around the world. He was even commissioned to decorate public buildings as the Knokke casino on the North-Sea shore of Belgium, with very personal frescoes.

Magritte died in 1967, August 15, of pancreatic cancer. At the age of 69. He was buried in Brussels.

He was difficult painter and his policy is misleading. He was offering something else for us, new ideas. Painting was exclusive. He chose ordinary things from which to construct his works- like trees, chairs, tables, shoes, people. He wanted to understand all these rdinary things. ("The simplicity in his work is a suspect simplicity.)

He is well known by his funny and snappy paintings. In these works Magritte shows daily things but in strange tone or environment. Particularly was interested in reality and images problems. I like the way he searching different unexpected resolution in order to make people fell some kind of stress or tension. Sometimes it is unexpected because we weren’t ready to see one thing or another in such kind of expression. He was denying things which he was painting providing to them different meaning.

Word or view variance made influence to viewer’s minds. In this case, the most exciting painting series was named “ It’s Not a Pipe” , where he had painted a pipe and wrote near the painting denying, that it’s not what you see. I like the way he provoke the viewer with his denying and different meanings. Watching his paintings you fell confusion and disturb, when you try to match painting and his title. You fell confused, because you can’t find any strong base, which let you say, that text is clear or wrong. Where are only interpretations.

My painting is visible images which conceal nothing; they evoke mystery and, indeed, when one sees one of my pictures, one asks oneself this simple question 'What does that mean'? It does not mean anything, because mystery means nothing either, it is unknowable."

"Everything we see hides another thing, we always want to see what is hidden by what we see, but it is impossible. Humans hide their secrets too well...."