L’Imprudent 1927

Magritte made this painting, L’Imprudent, with oil on canvas, and what strikes me is the crispness and clarity of each element, almost like a photograph – but one from a dream. It's a process of making that smooths out the unexpected, where things are painted precisely, yet the image itself is pure strange. The texture of the paint is so smooth it disappears, yet each detail is rendered with care. Look at the identical figures, each with a bandaged arm, a red bow tie, and a smoking cigarette, set against an impossible mountain range. The details are crisp, but the narrative is completely open. The deep shadows under their feet give them a sense of belonging, but the whole scene just defies explanation. I think of Giorgio de Chirico, another master of uncanny imagery. Like de Chirico, Magritte shows us that art doesn’t need to explain, it needs to ask questions, to open doors to our own wild minds.