Rene Magritte: Illusions Masking Reality

In the fallout of the first Great War, which had plagued European society for four long and brutal years, many were left to question the purpose of their existences. Stemming from the monstrously large number of casualties during the war, the mood left those whom survived to wonder how reason and logic could have started the conflict. For many people, a sense of alienation was stirred up who found the possibility of rejoining a society, which had not only allowed but prolonged such a catastrophe, to difficult. As society was adapting from war, so too were the artists and their respective movements. One such movement formed during the tumultuous years was reacting to the heighten fears of war called Dada. It is from the Dadaist movement in central Europe where we see a large influence on the future Surrealist movement. In Dada, we find surrealists’ motivation and interest in the ideas of chance and the irrational. Dadaist attempted to challenge the traditional aesthetics. In surrealism’s basic definition do we recognize the Dadaist influence of the anti-aesthetic, where shocks with juxtapositions of ordinary objects in unnatural circumstances were stressed. Among the many tenants of surrealism, the work of Sigmund Freud during the early half of the twentieth century on the unconscious became one of the major themes of the movement. No better example to serve this definition of surrealism, other than Salvador Dali, than the work of Rene Magritte.

Rene Magritte was born November 21, 1898 in Lessines, Brussels. Tragedy struck Rene early in his life his mother had attempted to commit suicide several times forcing his father to lock her in a room until one day she went missing. Few days past until the family found her drowned in the ...

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...ist of artists influenced but may be the best examples of how they were influenced by Rene Magritte. Beginning with Andy Warhol, some of his mort appreciated art came from ordinary objects: a Campbell’s tomato soup can and dollar bills. Robert Gober, likewise, for his subject matter chose more ordinary objects such as sinks and doors. The legacy left in the wake of Rene Magritte’s work, highlighted years of reinterpreting the commonplace by creating illusions of reality. He in effect took the common to create the sublime, which may be his biggest achievement and legacy for the development of modern art.

Works Cited

Allmer, P, & Magritte, R. (2010). René magritte: beyond painting. Manchester Univ Pr.

Sylverster, D. (1995). Magritte. London: Thames & Hudson Limited.

Rene magritte. (2002, November 7). Retrieved from http://www.famouspainter.com/magritte.htm