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Get Paintings Reproductions False Mirror by Rene Magritte (Inspired By) (1898-1967, Belgium) | ArtsDot.com

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False Mirror



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Rene Magritte's The False Mirror is a thought-provoking painting that challenges our perceptions and invites us to question what we see. Created in 1928, this oil on canvas work measures 54 x 80 cm and is currently housed in the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York, United States.

Style and Meaning

The painting features a large, unblinking eye with no eyelashes or eyebrows. The iris has been replaced by a blue, cloud-filled sky, while the pupil remains black and dead. This juxtaposition of the human eye and the natural world challenges our perceptions and invites us to question what we see and what we think we know. The title The False Mirror suggests that the painting is not a reflection of reality but rather a distortion or manipulation of it.

Context within the Surrealist Movement

Rene Magritte's use of eyes as a motif in his art is not unique. Many of his Surrealist colleagues, including Man Ray, Salvador Dali, and Max Ernst, also made use of eyes in their works. These artists sought to unsettle complacent attitudes about art and life by recontextualizing, multiplying, and assaulting the image of the eye. To learn more about Rene Magritte and his other works, visit Rene Magritte's artist page on ArtsDot.

Key Features

  • The painting is executed in oil on canvas, which gives it a smooth and glossy finish.
  • The colors are vivid, with the blue sky contrasting sharply against the brown tones of the surrounding area.
  • The clouds within the eye's pupil are white and fluffy, suggesting a clear day.
The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) is a world-renowned institution dedicated to the collection, preservation, exhibition, and promotion of modern and contemporary art. For more information on the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), please visit The Museum of Modern Art (New York, United States) - A Haven for Modern and Contemporary Art. Handmade oil painting reproductions of The False Mirror are available on ArtsDot.
The style of this type of art work has also been referred to as “magical realism.” It was completed in 1928. The use of this particular body part is telling in that it seems to be challenging the viewer to question whether what they are seeing corresponds with what they think they know. Magritte surprises us immediately by removing the eyes’ pupil from its usual location and positioning it in the center of the sky.
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Rene Magritte

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