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Quote from Magritte
"My painting is visible images which conceal nothing... they evoke mystery and indeed when one sees one of my pictures, one asks oneself this simple question 'What does that mean?' It does not mean anything, because mystery means nothing either, it is unknowable."
Description
In this painting, common everyday objects that we use in our daily lives are proportionately blown up, occupying a representational amount of the available space in the room. These objects: the comb, the wine glass, the soap, the wardrobe, the bed, the matchstick and the shaving brush, are lying in various positions in the vicinity of the room with the a serene aerial view of the sky as the wallpaper. The objects are randomly scattered about, with no obvious pattern or fixed arrangement. The presence of the bed in this room also hints to us that this is a bedroom. Carpets on the floor are also haphazardly placed, not covering the entire surface area of the floor, revealing the bare wooden planks that make up the base of the room. The carpets seem to be also carelessly left about, unaligned and unattended to. The reflection in the mirror of the wardrobe also suggests to us that on the other side of the room which the painting does not reveal, there is actually a window adorned with curtains. Colours used in this artwork are diverse, realistic and life-like. The vibrancy of the colours employed seems to give a glow to the objects, attributing to them their own personal vibe. The colours used are mostly bright, with a cool and warm palette. Some of the warm colours used consist of brown and yellow hues while majority of the cool colours are blues and whites. There is a balanced harmony between the two spectrums of colours. The composition of this painting also seem quite balanced, if taking the wine glass as the centre of this artwork, there are 3 equal objects on each side of the artwork. The brushwork used here is also extremely fine and well-blended, adding to the life-likeness of the stationary objects. The forms are also painted with extra detail, paying careful attention to the shadows and highlights which adds to the dimensions of the subject matters. The fine brushwork also serves to distinguish the different textures of each object, achieving a realistic quality in the painting.
Analysis
Judging from the adequate lighting in the room and the light that shines through the curtains, it is safe to assume that it is probably mid-day or in the morning. This painting exhibits a sense of joy and a generally positive atmospheric feeling in viewers, further encouraged by the use of strong and rich colours by Magritte. The overall mood of this artwork is also calm and peaceful, where everything seems to be still and quiet, and the only sound that one can hear is one's own breathing. The clouds painted as the wallpaper of this room also adds on to the overall serenity of the scene. A clever sense of harmony is also created among the objects despite how they vary in size, shape, texture and colour, brought by the balance in the artwork. However, viewers are also bemused by the whole idea of this artwork, given the unusually large size of these everyday objects that we use. This introduces the surrealistic quality of the artwork, which makes viewers wonder at the artist's intention behind this and the rethink the significance of it.
Interpretation
As the title of the painting suggests, Rene Magritte probably chooses these objects because they mean something special to him in terms of defining who he is as a person and what makes him a person; perhaps it could even serve as a platform of reassurance for him when he is feeling down to remind him of who he is, and regardless of what happens he must remember that he is who he is and that he is unque in his own way. The objects that he choose to place in this room is representational of such. Each object must have been considered carefully before, and their orientation and size in this room also serves some significance. The bigger the size of the object, the more the importance of that personal value that object represents in Magritte's life. The shades and hues of colours used for these objects might also possibly represent his overall mood and outlook towards that particular value. By placing these objects together, Magritte causes us to rethink our own relationship to ordinary personal items, to question our thoughtless and routine interactions with familiar objects, and to stop and assess the values they represent. Each of the individual objects in Personal Values also hold their own symbolism. For example, the closeness of the bed and the matchstick in Personal Values suggests a play on the French phrase “Tu m’allumes” which means “You turn me on.” Magritte incorporates risqué humor in the work with both of these objects. It is discernible that the scene of the painting is a bedroom because of the floorboards and the ceiling. Even so, Magritte challenges this by painting the sky on the walls. He plays with notions of mental and atmospheric space, implying that the room is not constricted by its four walls, but unbounded nor restricted by its physical limits, just like the imagination of people. This causes me to recall the familiar phrase used “the sky is the limit”.
"My painting is visible images which conceal nothing... they evoke mystery and indeed when one sees one of my pictures, one asks oneself this simple question 'What does that mean?' It does not mean anything, because mystery means nothing either, it is unknowable."
Description
In this painting, common everyday objects that we use in our daily lives are proportionately blown up, occupying a representational amount of the available space in the room. These objects: the comb, the wine glass, the soap, the wardrobe, the bed, the matchstick and the shaving brush, are lying in various positions in the vicinity of the room with the a serene aerial view of the sky as the wallpaper. The objects are randomly scattered about, with no obvious pattern or fixed arrangement. The presence of the bed in this room also hints to us that this is a bedroom. Carpets on the floor are also haphazardly placed, not covering the entire surface area of the floor, revealing the bare wooden planks that make up the base of the room. The carpets seem to be also carelessly left about, unaligned and unattended to. The reflection in the mirror of the wardrobe also suggests to us that on the other side of the room which the painting does not reveal, there is actually a window adorned with curtains. Colours used in this artwork are diverse, realistic and life-like. The vibrancy of the colours employed seems to give a glow to the objects, attributing to them their own personal vibe. The colours used are mostly bright, with a cool and warm palette. Some of the warm colours used consist of brown and yellow hues while majority of the cool colours are blues and whites. There is a balanced harmony between the two spectrums of colours. The composition of this painting also seem quite balanced, if taking the wine glass as the centre of this artwork, there are 3 equal objects on each side of the artwork. The brushwork used here is also extremely fine and well-blended, adding to the life-likeness of the stationary objects. The forms are also painted with extra detail, paying careful attention to the shadows and highlights which adds to the dimensions of the subject matters. The fine brushwork also serves to distinguish the different textures of each object, achieving a realistic quality in the painting.
Analysis
Judging from the adequate lighting in the room and the light that shines through the curtains, it is safe to assume that it is probably mid-day or in the morning. This painting exhibits a sense of joy and a generally positive atmospheric feeling in viewers, further encouraged by the use of strong and rich colours by Magritte. The overall mood of this artwork is also calm and peaceful, where everything seems to be still and quiet, and the only sound that one can hear is one's own breathing. The clouds painted as the wallpaper of this room also adds on to the overall serenity of the scene. A clever sense of harmony is also created among the objects despite how they vary in size, shape, texture and colour, brought by the balance in the artwork. However, viewers are also bemused by the whole idea of this artwork, given the unusually large size of these everyday objects that we use. This introduces the surrealistic quality of the artwork, which makes viewers wonder at the artist's intention behind this and the rethink the significance of it.
Interpretation
As the title of the painting suggests, Rene Magritte probably chooses these objects because they mean something special to him in terms of defining who he is as a person and what makes him a person; perhaps it could even serve as a platform of reassurance for him when he is feeling down to remind him of who he is, and regardless of what happens he must remember that he is who he is and that he is unque in his own way. The objects that he choose to place in this room is representational of such. Each object must have been considered carefully before, and their orientation and size in this room also serves some significance. The bigger the size of the object, the more the importance of that personal value that object represents in Magritte's life. The shades and hues of colours used for these objects might also possibly represent his overall mood and outlook towards that particular value. By placing these objects together, Magritte causes us to rethink our own relationship to ordinary personal items, to question our thoughtless and routine interactions with familiar objects, and to stop and assess the values they represent. Each of the individual objects in Personal Values also hold their own symbolism. For example, the closeness of the bed and the matchstick in Personal Values suggests a play on the French phrase “Tu m’allumes” which means “You turn me on.” Magritte incorporates risqué humor in the work with both of these objects. It is discernible that the scene of the painting is a bedroom because of the floorboards and the ceiling. Even so, Magritte challenges this by painting the sky on the walls. He plays with notions of mental and atmospheric space, implying that the room is not constricted by its four walls, but unbounded nor restricted by its physical limits, just like the imagination of people. This causes me to recall the familiar phrase used “the sky is the limit”.
Judgement
My general feelings towards this painting at first is bemusement due to the portrayal of a random array of odd-sized objects in a closed room. However, as I get to understand the artist's intention behind creating such a composition and idea, it is actually very inspiring. Magritte has put a lot of evident thought behind such a personal incorporation of himself into his art, and it means a lot more, at least on the personal side, than other similar surrealistic style of paintings that are formed based on co-existing myths and legends, or playing on fantasies on the mind, or otherwise. It is indeed very clever of Magritte to create such a painting of such personal significance to himself, and should viewers look upon it, be reminded to reflect upon themselves too. It is similar to a mirror- just that there is no reflection in this painting and that is what makes the meaning brought about by it even more impressive. Magritte has successfully conveyed the idea of ordinary objects that define personal values to a person, and that is what makes each and everyone of us unique.
Through this, people may change their perceptions of their personal valued items and influence them to treasure them more.
The overall uniqueness of the basis this artwork is created on is what makes it stand out from the rest and which particularly appeals to me.
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