The treachery of images (This is not a pipe) 1929

This painting of a pipe, "The Treachery of Images," was made by René Magritte sometime in the last century. It's oil paint on canvas, so it's pretty smooth, not a lot of texture. But look closely at how Magritte plays with the illusion of form. The pipe seems real, almost touchable, right? But the words below, "Ceci n'est pas une pipe," tell us it's just a representation. It's not the thing itself. I think of this when I’m making my own work. The funny thing about painting is that it’s always a stand-in for something else. I like how Magritte points out the artifice, and the slippage between the thing and its image. It reminds me of Jasper Johns and his painted bronze ale cans, also playing with this idea of representation and reality. Ultimately, it’s a reminder that art invites us to see the world in new ways, and that everything is up for grabs.