Le Modèle rouge

In his works, René Magritte challenges our perception of reality. He began to paint in a surrealist style in Belgium, and moved to Paris in 1927, where he joined the French Surrealists. His paintings often feature everyday objects, which are placed in unusual, dreamlike settings. Over time, he began to paint them with more photographic precision. The realistic rendering, and the descriptive title – “The Red Model” – seem to contradict what we actually see, and thus heighten the sense of unreality. This work also reveals Magritte’s interest in words and texts, which appeared early on in his artistic practice. His imagery has influenced pop art, and later on conceptualism, where the idea is the essential ingredient of the art.