This piece by Rene Magritte (1898-1967) is a classic example of surrealism, the portrayal of human truth by the irrational juxtaposition of objects. In this painting, unrealistic depictions of apples wearing masquerade masks against the cloudy blue sky are juxtaposed against a hollowed tree with a ball and house inside. The bright and pastel colors used in the painting seem to portray a childish and naive scene, along with the use of dollhouses and light purple wallpaper as the background. But behind the innocent scene is the portrayal of human greed through the cutting down of trees as a representation of humans' pursual of goods and capital. Along with the apple's "identity" hidden behind a mask, which shows the desire for people to conceal their true selves and return to a simpler time.
The masked apples in the outside world contrary to being inside the house drew the attention of the viewers as it is quite different than a regular image. The cutting of the inside of the tree shows the true identity showing through inside where you find the dollhouse and bell. There are many different interpretations to this painting as one might see the house inside the tree as the product of the trees, along with the apples which fall from the tree.
Surrealism is difficult to interpret due to the wide variety of possibilities that it could produce, and in the end, there might not even be a right answer. But it is exactly the array of possibilities and truths that it reveals about human nature that draws us to want to find out more.
Comments
Post a Comment