The Treachery Of Images (TOW #6)

The Treachery Of Images

Rene Magritte was a Belgian surrealist artist. He is considered one of the most notable surrealists of the time period, ranked amongst the likes of Salvador Dali and Max Ernst. This considered, his works were not greatly recognizes until the 50’s, the later parts of his life.  Many of Rene's works have been greatly influential on the pop art movement particularly in the works of Andy Warhol.

The piece, titled The Treachery Of Images is an oil painting of a wooden pipe against a plane beige background, and underneath are painted the words, “Ceci n’est pas une pipe,” which translates in English to “This is not a pipe.” The painting is one of Magritte’s earlier work, painted roughly thirty years before his more famous The Son Of Man and Golconda. The painting is very simple in its composition and does not have many parts, however it is effective at achieving its goal.

The painting is a kind of speculative piece on the gap between a representation and reality. It is similar to the idea that the word is not the thing itself. It is meant to cause the reader to question the meaning and importance of the image and the word. It shows the idea that a real pipe is not the same as a picture of a pipe which is not the same as the word pipe. This pipe is an allusion to the book Vers Une Architecture.

The painting has been analyzed by many critics and is even the topic of a full length book. The painting at the time of its creation was treated much disapproval due to its strange and mysterious tone; however it is this tone that makes his piece so influential and well known.