Natural encounters 1945

René Magritte painted ‘Natural Encounters’ in Belgium, but we don’t know exactly when. The painting shows the artist's interest in the relationship between inside and outside, real and imagined. The windows, which should allow us to see the outside world, show only sky and clouds, while two figures with bizarre, pitcher-like heads hold a leaf inside. Magritte was part of the Surrealist movement, which questioned conventional ways of seeing the world. In post-war Europe, artists and intellectuals were asking fundamental questions about truth, reality, and the self. Institutions like the psychoanalytic societies of Paris and Vienna were attempting to explain the hidden forces that shape our behaviour. Surrealist art drew on the imagery of dreams and the unconscious. To understand this painting fully, you might want to consult the writings of Sigmund Freud, or visit the Magritte Museum here in Brussels. Art history is about understanding the ideas and social conditions that give rise to artistic creation.