Artist: René Magritte
Year: 1965
Medium: Oil on canvas
The Blank Signature (Le blanc-Seing) is a 1965 painting by the Belgian surrealist painter René Magritte. The work is part of the collection of the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. It was one of Magritte’s last works before his death in 1967. The painting depicts a woman on horseback riding through a forest. Due to an optical illusion employed by the artist, the image is partially fragmented, although at first glance the viewer may perceive it as a coherent whole. The woman and the horse are simultaneously in front of, between, and behind the trees. Her right arm is partially hidden behind a tree that, upon closer inspection, is located in the background. One possible interpretation is that the merging of the forest with the horsewoman suggests a unity of humanity and nature. But as is usually the case with Magritte, the work primarily raises questions, a sense further heightened by the enigmatic title. The painter himself believed that his works required no specific interpretation; every viewer can interpret the work in their own way. He also noted that art critics sometimes saw more—or something entirely different—in his works than he himself had consciously intended.
That is some very clever mind bending shit.
Yeah, that was totally Magritte’s thing. He painted a lot of clever—and also pretty strange—pictures. A surrealist through and through, and even one of the best-known representatives of the movement. He was particularly recognized for placing familiar objects in unusual and unexpected settings.
If you like that kind of art and happen to be in the area, I highly recommend the Dalí Theater-Museum in Figueres (Spain)—it’s pretty trippy.
Never heard of him
(/s)
There is also a very good Dali museum in St. Petersburg, Florida as well.
I just wrote about it in another post, but the St Petersburg Dali Museum is incredible. It contains many of his most iconic masterpieces.
While you are in town, see the Chihuly Exhibit at the Morean Arts Center. He’s widely considered the leading glass artist on the world, and the Morean Gallery is entirely devoted to his beautiful glass.
We did the Chihuly in the morning, had lunch, and did the Dali in the afternoon. It was perfect day of brilliant art, in a beautiful place.
Also bought the tix on Groupon and saved enough money that it paid for lunch!
I grew up down there. I go every time I visit home. Been a few years, but I feel like I remember some wild glass exhibit we hit on our last visit. I don’t know how it is these days, but that used to be a great town for live music too