I have been to Moma many times prior to this assignment for other classes, and felt like I needed to look more closely at some of the pieces that were displayed. One painting that hit me was a small painting in the corner of the room, which was The Lovers, by Rene Magritte. I felt as if this piece didn’t receive much attention as it was nearby Van Gogh’s Starry Night. Regardless, I looked at the piece for a few good minutes without reading the description, because it felt like there really wasn’t much going on in the painting. Well, obviously besides the couple kissing in the middle of a very plain room with bags over their heads.
Rene Magritte was a Belgian artist who was born in 1898 and died in 1967 at the age of 68. Magritte is extremely popular and even has a museum dedicated to his work in Brussels. One of Magritte’s strengths as a painter is that he was able to always display normal things in an unusual manner which made his audience think deeply. I had the same response when looking at “The Lovers” I felt a sense of discomfort, which was strange because the painting seemed to be simple. I think Rene’s choices as an artist, such as the dull colours and how they play off of each other is incredible, as it is able to evoke a response that is unique to each person’s perspective.
In my personal opinion, because of the mysteriousness of the bags over the subjects head and the overall colour tone, I felt a little frustrated and depressed. Such a little and thin object such as a piece of cloth can block emotions and affection. Apparently, while looking at the results of my research, this was the intended reaction. Rene wanted to show frustration but at the same time he wanted the audience to react however they felt, instead of him telling what to feel. I respect this decision as an artist, and this is the true meaning of Modernism, where artists push boundaries and norms. Rene is known to make artworks similar to this, where the art made could be considered to some as “weird” or unconventional.
After reading Rene’s bio, it was suggested that his past and history(death of mother) could have impacted his work. This made me think of the question: How much of “The Lovers” was inspired by his past, and how does he manage to expose his emotions into paintings? Another question is why did he choose out of all things that could represent distance and frustration, two simple cloth bags?
Andre, The painting you selected appears to be the most popular choice for the class. We can think about what makes it so compelling. I’m glad that you described how the work made you feel; that’s an important part of the encounter with the work and one we don’t talk about often enough. To me, the issue is less about what these two people have on their heads and more about the way that the image suggests that, although these two people appear to be engaged in an intimate act, they are strangers to each other, symbolically speaking. I like your suggestion that the cloth over their heads “blocks” emotion or affection. This also reminds me of the theme of loneliness and alienation we’ve seen in so many Modernist works.
Nice job.
JS