The anger of gods 1960

Rene Magritte made this painting, "The Anger of the Gods" with oil on canvas sometime in the mid-20th century. Look at the way he's brushed the paint so smoothly – it's almost as if he's trying to hide the fact that it's a painting at all. There's a kind of serene absurdity here. The textures are so subtly rendered that the horse and rider floating over the car, become almost believable. I love the way the light catches the horse's back, just so, and how the green of the car is echoed in the distant hills. It’s as if he’s inviting us to question the very nature of reality, but in a way that feels more like a gentle nudge than a shout. And that horse – it’s not just floating, it’s practically dancing! Magritte reminds me a bit of Giorgio de Chirico, another painter who loved to play with strange juxtapositions, but where de Chirico is all sharp angles and unsettling shadows, Magritte is softer, more inviting.