Rêverie De Monsieur James 1943

René Magritte’s painting, Rêverie De Monsieur James, presents us with a kind of impossible still life. Look at the way the colour is applied so smoothly, it almost feels like looking at an advert or illustration, and yet there is something deeply unsettling in the image. There is something really strange about the surface of the painting; it feels flat and even, like a wall. It doesn’t have any of the juicy textures you might expect to find when looking at a painting of flowers. The paint is very thin and applied so evenly that it almost looks as if it has been printed. And yet, when you look closely, you can see the subtle variations in the brushstrokes, especially on the hands. The hands are arranged around the rose bush in a very mannered way; they seem to be gently plucking the blooms and offering them up for our consideration. Magritte’s use of repetition and juxtaposition reminds me of the work of Giorgio de Chirico, who also created enigmatic and unsettling images by combining familiar objects in unexpected ways. Art is an ongoing conversation. It's about looking, thinking, feeling and then responding.