Staring at the painting of the man in the bowler hat, I can’t help but notice his attempt to masquerade as a granny smith apple. Horribly perplexed, I continue to scan through the catalog of the Dutch surrealist painter, consistently dumbfounded by the uncanny presence of bourgeoisie bowler-hatted men in trench coats, endlessly stretching ocean landscapes filled with peculiarities and everything in between. Honestly, these paintings could make for the best escape room sequence ever or a cool CD-ROM game from the 90s. In a fashion that is unlike any other surrealist artist, René Magritte redefined the surrealist movement in a way that I believe surpasses the greatness of Dali or Ernst.
While many surrealist paintings remain cohesive, they are more unsettling than reflective. Magritte’s art brought a certain level of recognizability and relatability to the forefront of the genre. While Magritte’s paintings still contain their fair share of unrealistic scenarios and bizarre imagery, the objects and subjects resemble those witnessed in everyday life. Magritte actively bent a perception of reality that was universally understood within the human experience. Rather than feeling like a dreamscape, Magritte strays away from conventional surrealism, depicting natural landscapes and imagery containing scenes of unexplained nature. However, these scenes help visualize raw emotion through silent dialogue; they are eccentric yet so unexplainably human. Take, for example, my favorite piece by Magritte, “Homesickness,” which depicts a lion and an angel on a bridge facing away from one another. Painted by Magritte in France in 1940, this painting likely represents Magritte’s feeling of homesickness after being forced to flee his country as a result of Nazi occupation during the second world war. The painting feels completely uninterrupted, as Magritte gives his subjects a powerful yet sullen presence. The lion in particular, seems to communicate the feeling of “homesickness” as he is far away from the savanna, confined to an urban jail. The lion’s disagreement with the angel seems to communicate a conflict in Magritte’s mind. Either find a way home or remain silently in despair.
Magritte’s paintings were also diverse in style. Similar to other surrealist artists, he practiced in multiple mediums, experimented with different styles, and strayed away from originality. This is demonstrated in pieces such as “The Anger of the Gods,” which uses an illustrative style rather than a painterly one to depict a jockey on a horse, racing on top of an automobile. Considering this piece was produced in the 1960s, Magritte seems to symbolically reject the economic resurgence experienced by Belgium post-World War II by contrasting a modern innovation with a traditional means of transportation. In particular, Magritte yet again seems to take aim at the middle class, incorporating his signature “bowler-hatted man” riding in an automobile. During this time, the middle and rural classes gained increased social authority, hinting at Magritte’s distaste for urban culture, individual wealth, and rapid industrialization. Unlike “The Anger of the Gods,” Magritte’s painting “Unexpected Answer” seems to be more interpretive than symbolic. The painting lacks subjects, consisting of a yellow door with an odd shape cut into it, creating a negative space through which to enter. A dark room lies on the other side. While there is no definitive answer to where it leads, I particularly enjoy Magritte’s use of descriptive titles to provide viewers with context for his paintings. The title “Unexpected Answer” seems rather anecdotal for a piece in which a door has seemingly been used incorrectly. It’s as though Magritte is challenging our conception of how recognizable objects are utilized.
Magritte’s approach to surrealist art revolutionized the movement, making surrealism more approachable by tapping into relatable emotions, feelings, and objects. This unconventional method shares similarities with contemporary art, which subtly embraces universally understood ideals while delving into abstractions, staying true to the essence of the genre.
