Have you ever seen artwork that blew your mind? Scenarios that didn't make sense? Up until the time that I went to see the special Magritte exhibit at SFMoma, I had never seen paintings so thought-provoking.
René Magritte was a 20th century Belgian Surrealist who was known for his abstract, dreamlike works of art. His paintings usually depict impossible scenarios such as gravity defying boulders that float in mid-air, giant, out-of-proportion roses and green apples, paintings within paintings which make you question what you see, and objects that match the sea and the sky. Even though much of his work is detailed and lifelike, Magritte weaved in a sense of surreal mystery that one could normally only find in dreams. In one of his famous paintings, The Son of Man, he painted a green apple that hid most of his face. No one knew why he did this, adding to the mystery. Many of his paintings require people to delve deep which is why they are so enjoyable to ponder over. Additionally, other artists and writers were also beginning to branch out from classical art and explore surrealism. Sigmund Freud, an Austrian neurologist, may have been influential in the artistic community because of his novel view of the subconscious mind.
Rene Magritte's paintings are also representative of his time period. The SF Moma exhibit featured his work from the 1940s to the 1960s (his death), and you can see that the paintings were deeply influenced by what was going on around him. For example, during the 1940s, the Nazis had taken over Belgium where he lived. People were fearful, and Rene, who remained in Brussels, wanted to paint scenes that tried to counteract the horrors of war. Instead of using the people's feelings at that time to show gloom, he made his artwork portray joy and light-heartedness. This is shown especially in his painting, Forethought, in which he used bright, candy-colored pastels to depict a flower tree in a luscious green landscape. The blooming flowers curved up majestically as if to open up to the sun, and were colored in soft pinks, whites, and lavenders to accent the dark, vibrant magentas, scarlets, greens, and blues. However, if you look closely, you realize the impossibility of this assortment of giant flowers that grew from a tree trunk. All in all, Magritte's unique, thought-provoking, and stunning paintings have become one of my favorite exhibits in SFMoMa.
Note: The Magritte exhibit at SFMoMa is not a traveling show and will be open to the public until October 28, 2018. Don't miss this chance to see Magritte's fascinating collection!