Magritte, René (1898-1967)
La tempête (The Tempest)
c.1931
Oil on canvas, 49.5 x 65.4 cm
Wadsworth Atheneum, Hartford
Magritte sought to create what he called “poetic paintings.” Here he balanced solid and void, light and dark, and hard and soft to create an ambiguous, dream-like effect. Two blocks surrounded by clouds are placed near an open window. The clouds passing through the window make it difficult to tell how the interior and exterior of the space relate. What appears to be blue sky contrasts with the darkness behind the buildings and contributes to a sense of the unreal. (WA)