Le Viol 1948

René Magritte made "Le Viol," with delicate brushstrokes that bring this unsettling vision into being. The pale flesh tones against that soft blue background...it's almost like he's dared to imagine the impossible. You know, as a painter, I often think about the artist wrestling with the canvas, trying to coax the image into existence. What was Magritte thinking when he painted this? The fine lines and careful shading, the way the hair flows around the body...It’s not quite realistic, but it's not totally abstract either. That smooth surface also gets to me. It is like a dream that has been made solid. It is a bold move, to put the female body so brazenly in the place of the face. Maybe he's in conversation with artists like Picasso and Dalí, pushing against the boundaries of representation. It’s definitely one of those paintings that sticks with you, challenging your assumptions about seeing, and being seen.