Les Nouvelles années 

René Magritte created "Les Nouvelles Années" – translating to "The New Years" – an oil on canvas painting, sometime between 1959-1964. Magritte emerged from a generation of artists who had lived through the trauma of two world wars, where reality had been brutally reshaped. Here, in his surrealist style, Magritte juxtaposes the familiar and the strange. A snow-capped chess piece sits alongside barren trees against a winter sky. Magritte once said, "My painting is visible images which conceal nothing; they evoke mystery and, indeed, when one sees one of my pictures, one asks oneself this simple question, 'What does that mean'?" "Les Nouvelles Années" encapsulates this sentiment, inviting us to consider the uncanny in the everyday. The new years can bring feelings of hope, but are always cast with the shadow of an uncertain future. In this way, Magritte prompts us to contemplate the hidden meanings of the world around us, challenging our perceptions and stirring a sense of intrigue.