La corde sensible 1960

René Magritte painted "La corde sensible" with oil on canvas and the meticulous application of paint gives the whole piece a feeling of being carefully and deliberately constructed. Look closely and you'll see how Magritte built up the cloud with layers of delicate brushstrokes, which feel soft, almost fluffy. This contrasts with the smooth, hard edges of the glass which has an almost photographic clarity. There’s a tension between the meticulous detail and the absurdity of the image itself. It feels almost as if a photograph has been doctored, like it has been Photoshopped way before Photoshop! Magritte's surreal landscapes share something with the dreamscapes of Giorgio de Chirico, but where de Chirico feels heavy and symbolic, Magritte is lighter, playful even. What is certain is that both embraced ambiguity, showing us that in art, the questions are often more interesting than the answers.