The ignorant fairy 1950

René Magritte painted this strange scene called 'The Ignorant Fairy,' using oil on canvas. The face is smooth, so smooth, and the colors are blended so subtly, it’s like you could reach out and touch her. The hair is this flowing curtain of soft yellow, and then BAM, half of her face plunges into shadow. It makes you wonder what’s hidden there, or what’s about to be revealed. It looks like he's carefully layering to build up the form, rather than direct painting. Look at the way the candle is rendered, so precise and unreal. It makes the moment feel dreamlike, or maybe it's a touch of dark humour. Magritte makes you question what’s real and what's not, doesn't he? Like Giorgio de Chirico, he shows us that painting isn't just about capturing the world, but about creating a new one. A new way of looking at the world.