René François Ghislain Magritte was a Belgian surrealist painter from the 20th century. He was popular for his unique approach to everyday objects and people being portrayed very unusually, leaving his paintings open for questioning the hidden meanings. His paintings, including “The Son of Man”, (1946), “Painted Plaster Mask”, (1935), and “Man in a Bowler Hat”, (1964), contained concepts full of mystery, identity, and illusion. During this examination of “The Lovers ||”, we’ll see several examples of his surrealistic art style. This leaves you as the reader with 3 main questions in mind; What were Magritte’s true messages in his paintings? Why did he leave his works so open ended? And what is the true significance of his “The Lovers ||”, (1928) painting?
As a child, born in Lessines, Belgium on the 21st of November, 1898, Magritte was captivated by comics and cinema. He began lessons in drawing in 1910 when he was 12 years old. Unfortunately, his mother committed suicide just 2 years after at 14 years old. On the 12th of March, 1912, his mother committed suicide by drowning herself in the River Sambre. No, this was not her first attempt – it was one of several in a number of years. She was missing for days after being locked in her bedroom by her husband, trying to keep her from ending her life, but was later found dead in a river. This saddening situation likely influenced the multiple oil paintings he painted during 1927-1928 that had people hiding their faces with a piece of cloth, and possibly other paintings of his. He returned to art by painting after he left his studies to settle in Brussels, near the Fine Arts intending to study there. However, in 1916 to 1918, he began studying at the Academie Royale des Beaux-Arts instead. There, he got involved with the Cubist and Futurist movements, and the Dada movement during the early 1920s.
Magritte’s earliest oil paintings from about 1915, were Impressionism paintings, which later progressed into Futurism and Cubism paintings that portrayed females in the nude. In 1922 to 1923, he worked as a draughtsman and an advertisement designer. In 1926, a contract with Galerie le Centaure in Brussels made it possible for him to paint full-time. In 1926, Magritte painted “The Lost Jockey”, marking it as his first surrealist painting. In 1927, he held his first exhibition there. Upset by the bad critiques he received, he moved to Paris where he got involved in a surrealist group full of artists. The group consisted of André Breton, Salvador Dali, Paul Éluard, Joan Miró, and Yves Tanguy. He was more interested in puzzling and metaphorical images and symbols in his artwork, and often highlighted the lack of differentiation between what’s reality and what’s not. Magritte often preferred to leave his works open-ended, allowing viewers to create their own definitions. This included one of his most famous paintings called…
“The Lovers ||”, (1928) depicts a couple in a room with painted walls. Magritte added the two lovers with their faces covered by a white cloth, locked in an unclear setting, and unable to truly communicate or touch even while kissing. It also seems that the two are posing for a photograph, aware that they can be seen. Of course we do not know the true meaning behind the painting, since Magritte prefers to keep his paintings on the more mysterious side, so this is just a very detailed depiction of “The Lovers ||”.
To continue, the cloth creates an atmosphere of mystery, especially with the room having walls painted in red and blue, most likely to make it known that there is a use of no windows. It’s weird to see a room with such a variety of colored walls. The lovers are the primary object in the painting to add even more mystery and intrigue to the overall meaning of the painting. The way they are both positioned is also suggestive. It appears that the man is in a dominant position with his shoulders angled towards the woman, embracing her while they are kissing. The woman appears to be tilting her head up towards him, but after looking at the position of her body as well, it appears more like she is leaning backwards. The most important aspect of the lovers is the cloth, muffling their shared kiss. It makes the painting more thought-provoking since the couple’s faces are hidden.
The psychological impact of “The Lovers ||” is far more important than it appears. The color blue is associated with calm energy, water, or life. The color red is associated with anger, lust and love. The color white is associated with tranquility, innocence, or purity, which also happens to be the least shown in the painting. The color black is associated with emptiness, depression, or death. The man in the painting might represent death or an unsettling energy, while the woman might represent lust or love. The cloth could represent purity or innocence and could represent the purity is fading away between the two lovers. Trying to put all of these meanings together to form a single meaning can be difficult, that’s why having to think more deeply behind the overall message of Magritte’s painting can be entertaining to say the least.
Magritte’s Impact
Before and after his death on August 15, 1967, Magritte played a big role in surrealist art during the 20th century. His work alone helped shape the movement by using his art to make people question reality. Through his paintings, he encouraged viewers to think deeply, challenge their perspectives, and explore their unconscious mind to discover his hidden messages. After following along to this detailed analysis on Magritte’s “The Lovers ||” painting, what do you believe the overall message was? How do you think Magritte’s personal experiences and struggles help influence his surrealist paintings? Why do you think Magritte chose to have his paintings so open-ended? Thank you for following along and do not forget to click the comment button on the right-hand side to share your opinions and critiques on this matter! To read more articles, scroll down and click the “The Art of Love” tag in red! Tune in for more.
Sources:
-
- https://www.renemagritte.org/the-lovers-2.jsp#google_vignette
- https://www.renemagritte.org/#google_vignette
- https://www.riseart.com/article/2709/canvassing-the-masterpiece-magritte-s-the-lovers?srsltid=AfmBOoqGrtt_PbBT5Oj3G8RQsWt1PhaMRd-O8cuqczLIZ3324DjAaNaW
- https://www.dailyartmagazine.com/rene-magritte-lovers-in-separation/
