René Magritte
(21 November 1898 – 15 August 1967)
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| The Son of Man 1964 |
René Magritte is a surrealist artist who used his imagination in order to create innovative and beautiful works of art. Growing up in Belgium, Magritte began to draw in 1910 at the age of 12. Magritte's father was a textile artist and his mother was a milliner until marriage. His mother, overcome with depression, attempted suicide until she succeeded in 1912. Only 14 at the time, Magritte saw his mother's dead body with her dress covering her face, a reoccurring theme in his paintings. By 1915 Magritte painted with an impressionist style, but after going to the Académie Royale des Beaux-Arts in Brussels where he painted with a futuristic and cubist style. From 1922-1923 Magritte worked with wallpaper, posters, and advertisements until he decided to paint full time in 1927. He painted his first surrealist painting and held an exhibition at the age of 29, however it was met with criticism from the public. After this, Magritte decided to move to Paris and got involved with the surrealist group. He eventually moved back to Brussels, however, and began a successful company with his brother, Paul. From 1943-1944 Magritte began painting with a colorful, painterly style which came from his reactions of German occupation in Belgium during World War II. After changing his style many times, including adopting fauvism, in 1948 he returned to his surrealist style that he used before the war. In 1964 Magritte painted one of his most famous and recognized painting, The Son of Man. René Magritte died on August 15, 1967 of pancreatic cancer in his own bed in Brussels.
Much like other famous artists, René Magritte's work became popular in the 1960s. His work was shown all over the world during and after his life; In 1936 he had an exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art and in 1992 at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. On May 30, 2001 the Magritte Museum was opened to the public in Brussels. His former home which he owned with his wife was turned into a museum as well. There are many famous artists that were influenced by Magritte, including Andy Warhol. Today his name is known widely and is often associated with artists such as Salvador Dalí and M.C. Escher, however his work pushes further into the imagination.
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| The Blank Signature 1965 |
My father first introduced me to René Magritte when I was younger. I would walk into his office and view a painting he did similar to his The Empire of Lights. It pictures a house with lights on that you would see during the nighttime, yet the sky showed it as daytime. My father also began to purchase paintings for our beach house in order to produce a collage; The Art of Conversation, Spring, The Blank Signature, The Happy Donor, to name a few. I loved sitting and looking at the works while trying to figure them out at the same time. Today you can find me doing the same exact thing. I know the twist in each of the paintings, but seeing them each time is still a thrill to me. His work captures your attention and makes you question the object, theme, and story behind it. I will never stop loving his work and I plan on starting my own collection of René Magritte.
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