Rene Magritte

                                                  

Rene Magritte
(Belgian, 1898-1967)

Another member of the surrealist group whose works have become synonymous with the movement was Rene Magritte. This Belgian artist's temperment was opposite to that of the flaming eccentricity of Dali. He lived a quiet and "normal" life, married only one woman, and was very much a middle-class working man. Though connected to the movement, he separated himself from any the less provincial activities - preferring to work at home (in his dining-room, in fact!). Despite his seeming bougouise lifestyle, his works are extraordinary in their sense of fantasy and surreal reality.

Magritte constantly challenges our sense of time and space. Empire of the Lights is more subtle in its playfulness. It may take a moment for viewers to realize that the daytime sky does not fit the lighting situation of the night scene below. His cunning creativity places Magritte as one of my favorite artists of all time.