The Cortege 1963

Paul Delvaux created 'The Cortege' with oil on canvas. The surrealist painting portrays a group of women holding oil lamps, seemingly frozen in a procession. Delvaux employed traditional painting techniques to create a dreamlike, unsettling tableau. The smooth, almost photographic rendering of the figures contrasts with the enigmatic, irrational narrative. This juxtaposition, along with the industrial presence of the railway in the background, creates a tension between the timeless and the modern, the organic and the mechanical. Consider the way Delvaux has used labor in the context of production. The oil lamps, objects of utilitarian design, appear as props, questioning the conventional use of materials. The artist invites us to consider how the manufacturing of objects and the labor involved reflect the social and political environment. By focusing on the materials, processes, and context, we can deepen our understanding of the narrative and challenge established artistic conventions.