Rene MAGRITTE
Belgian 1898-1967
In praise of dialectics
1937
oil on canvas
65.5 x 54.0 cm
Felton Bequest 1971
EA2-1971

Magritte was one of the leading figures of the Surrealist movement-an art form which sought to free itself from traditional notions of picture making. Here, Magritte combines a meticulously realistic style with an illogical composition of a house within a house, playing with our expectations of illusion and reality, sense and non-sense. These are recurring themes of Surrealism.

Window frames, framed mirrors and doorways were common motifs in Magritte's work and he used them to structure his composition and play on the themes of transition and perception.