(see A Small List of Great Artists : RENÉ MAGRITTE (Belgian, 1898-1967))
(Read more: A SERIES of Magritte’s Paintings of Pipes)
(Read more: Magritte’s Paintings of Pipes at the Museums)
In finally choosing a cover image for this graphic novel project, A Brush with Peril, I wonder now why it took so long to realize that René Magritte’s Treachery of Images was the only absolutely appropriate solution for the kind of story I was wanting to tell. This piece has long been an intellectually exciting piece to me. I think it’s brilliant, and so simple. The drawing itself is ok, it’s fine. It’s very clearly a painting of a pipe. And below the painting is the text (in French), “This is not a pipe.” A first reaction is the absurdity of pairing this image with this statement, this contradiction between words and pictures. But then you realize, No, this is actually a much deeper riddle than it appears. It’s not a pipe. It’s paint applied to a canvas, to give the illusion of a pipe. Or as Magritte stated, “Of course it’s not a pipe, just try to fill it with tobacco.” So then, the illusion of paint passing as reality is our Treachery of Images.
How apt is this statement in so many of the arts. It’s all illusion in an attempt to sweep the viewer up into its imaginary throws, to summon emotion in the viewer. Excitement? Love? Fear? Drama? Empathy? Sympathy? Hope? Patriotism? Comaraderie? Validation? Heroism? Justification? This is not a pipe! And yet it is. It’s magical. And so powerful. Let’s examine this magic, and this power. Let’s deconstruct it, and revel in it.
(Read more: A SERIES of Magritte’s Paintings of Pipes)
(Read more: Magritte’s Paintings of Pipes at the Museums)
Read the comic book, “Brush with Peril”:
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Small List of Great Artists
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