Primevera 1926

René Magritte made this painting, Primavera, sometime in his career, probably with oil on canvas. The colours are bold and pretty artificial. This isn't about realism; it's about how we see and what we expect to see. Look at the green in the dress. It’s almost watermelon-like, isn't it? The way the shades blend... or don't. Magritte wasn’t trying to trick us into thinking it was real fabric. He’s showing us how paint can be its own thing, a world of its own. The texture looks smooth, almost like it was applied in thin layers. You can see the hand, but it's more about the idea than the touch. Think about someone like Giorgio de Chirico; that sense of the uncanny, the familiar made strange, feels close to Magritte's heart. It's art that keeps you guessing, keeps you looking.