The meaning of night 1927

René Magritte painted ‘The Meaning of Night’ with oil on canvas, and the layering gives it a very smooth finish. The two men in bowler hats stand together, one with his eyes closed, the other turned away - the mark making is very controlled and quite flat, and this contributes to the feeling of alienation that some people get from it. I get the feeling that the painting is about the process of looking as much as the subjects that are depicted. There is a kind of stagecraft to the composition, like it's a constructed dreamscape. The grey scale palette adds a sort of detachment, as if you're looking at something through a screen, or through memory. It’s interesting to compare Magritte’s work with that of Giorgio de Chirico, as both artists create these uncanny, dreamlike scenes. With both of them it’s the juxtaposition of ordinary objects in unexpected ways that creates something surreal. It suggests that art is a kind of ongoing conversation, always embracing new interpretations.