The treachery of images (This is not a pipe) 1966

This is René Magritte’s painting of a pipe, which states clearly in French, ‘This is not a pipe.’ The painting, like much of his work, employs very clear, almost commercial techniques. Look closely at the smoothness of the gradations, and the evenness of the surface texture. It’s clean, precise and designed for easy reading. Yet, Magritte isn’t being difficult, he’s pointing out a paradox, that all representations are a kind of trickery. The depiction of the pipe is not the pipe itself. It's an image, an idea, not the real thing. This piece speaks to art’s philosophical role, which is about endless questioning and not offering easy answers. I am reminded of the work of Sherrie Levine, who rephotographed famous images to further question the idea of originality. Art isn’t about fixed meaning, it’s an ongoing conversation.