Freedom of Mind 1948

René Magritte created this enigmatic painting, Freedom of Mind, using oil on canvas with a restrained palette. The brushwork is so smooth it almost disappears, which adds to the dreamlike quality. What grabs me is the way Magritte plays with surface and depth. The woman, with her direct gaze and the pipe in her hand, seems so present, so real. But the background – the sea, the sky, the distant moon – it all feels like a stage set, a backdrop to a dream. Look at the way the light falls on the architectural forms to the right of the painting, it's almost theatrical. Magritte’s work always reminds me that painting isn’t about capturing reality, but about creating a space for thought, for questioning. Like de Chirico, he turns the everyday on its head, making us see the world anew. It’s not just about what’s there, but what could be, or what else might be.