2/5/2025 | 3:30 PM - 5:30 PM | Grand Peninsula B

Pictorial detail and levels of meaning in the art of René Magritte

Author(s)

RUSSELL HAMER | Smith-Kettlewell Eye Research Institute

Abstract

René Magritte, the Belgian Surrealist (1898-1967), was a master at evoking multiple levels of meaning in our perceptuo-cognitive responses to his works.  Moreover, many of his works draw us into rich philosophical territory, where the nature of reality and meaning are evoked and challenged. Magritte understood perception as representation in the brain and paintings as representations of ideas: “the function of painting is to make poetry visible, to render thought visible”.  I will analyze several works that evoke striking perceptual and emotional experiences and raise philosophical questions. Subtle pictorial details in these works are strategically designed to have profound perceptual impact on us: “perceptual amplifiers”. These often escape notice with casual viewing, and yet can nevertheless “work their magic on us” by imbuing the painting with percepts that shock (surprise) or impose an emotional tone that disturbs.