Project for a mural, Norine House, Brussels 1931

This is René Magritte’s ‘Project for a mural, Norine House, Brussels,’ a small but bold painting, a kind of stage set, with a mermaid reclining in the foreground. The whole thing is underpinned by a strong blue, offset with blacks, whites, and fleshy pinks. I'm thinking about Magritte here, and what he might have been thinking when he made this. It's like he was trying to reconcile the world of dreams with everyday reality. I love the way he's handled the paint in this piece. It's not about realism, but about creating a feeling, an atmosphere. The colors, the textures, everything is designed to evoke a sense of mystery and wonder. It’s as though he were constructing a sort of visual puzzle, like his paintings often do. I wonder who she is, and what she’s thinking? It reminds me a little of Giorgio de Chirico, with its dreamlike imagery. All these artists keep speaking to one another through time. Isn’t that a lovely thought?