René Magritte (1898 – 1967) was a Belgian artist of the surrealist movement. He is best known for his thought-provoking surrealist images presenting common objects in an unusual context, having viewers question their perceptions of reality.
Magritte was born to a wealthy manufacturer father. In 1912, his mother committed suicide by drowning herself in the River Sambre, which is said to have influenced Magritte’s use of imagery in his later work. Magritte started drawing lessons at the age of 10 and later studied at the Academie des Beaux-Art located in Brussels. However, he found the lessons uninspiring and left after two years. His paintings at that time reflected cubist influences close to Pablo Picasso’s approach until he discovered SurrealismSurrealism was a 20th-century philosophical, literary, and artistic movement seeking to channel the unconscious to access the imaginary. Proponents of Surrealism rejected the notion of understanding life in rational and conventional terms in favour of asserting the value of the unconscious mind, dreams, the strangely beautiful, and the uncanny. André Breton, the leader of a group of poets and artists More as his preferred style. In 1927, Magritte had his first solo exhibition at a gallery in Brussels, which was strongly criticized by the public. Depressed by the failure, he moved to Paris where he became involved in the Surrealist group. Together with artists like Salvador Dalí, Giorgio de Chirico, Max Ernst, Joan MiróSpanish Catalan artist Joan Miró (1893 – 1983) is famous for his works in painting, sculpture, and ceramics. His work is strongly influenced by his hometown Barcelona, the scenic seaside, and the distinct style of that area. From early on, he was exposed to the arts through his parents’ professions: His mother was a goldsmith, father worked as a watchmaker. More, and Pablo PicassoPablo Picasso (1881–1973), was a Spanish painter, sculptor, graphic artist, and resident in France from 1904. He was a dominant figure in avant-garde movements in the first half of the 20th century due to his technical versatility and prolific inventiveness. picasso-self-portrait Picasso’s progression in his early work is largely categorized by predominant colour schemes: His Blue Period (1901-1904) features motifs More, he exhibited at the Parisian Goemans Gallery. He moved back to Brussels after three years, celebrated his first solo exhibition in the United States at the Julien Levy Gallery in New York 1936, later at the London Gallery in 1938.
Today, Magritte’s work is being showcased regularly in retrospective exhibitions, most recently at the Centre Georges Pompidou (2016–2017).