The window 1925

René Magritte made “The Window” using oil paint and a very flat, considered approach. The colours are muted, but there’s a punch of colour in the bird and the geometric shapes. Magritte’s brushstrokes here are almost invisible. It’s like he’s trying to erase the evidence of his hand, which creates this kind of dreamy, unreal quality. The composition is a play between the interior and exterior. We see a landscape through the window, but also geometric shapes and a hand reaching out. It's as though he wants to create a space where things aren’t quite what they seem. There’s a bird smack dab in the middle of the red block. It’s an image of freedom, but it’s stuck in this weird, constructed space. Like a stage set, Magritte’s painting invites us to question what is real and what is imagined. Like de Chirico before him, he creates a world of mystery and asks us to find our own way.