Le Chevalier du couchant 

This painting, by René Magritte, is made with oil on canvas, a thoroughly conventional fine art medium. But what does Magritte do with it? He applies the oil paint to conjure a world of surreal stillness. Look closely, and you will see that Magritte's material mastery is all about precision. He lays down the paint with extreme care, creating the illusion of solid, three-dimensional forms. There is a sculptural feeling to this painting, despite its illusionistic nature. Magritte worked as a commercial artist early in his career, and that taught him to think like an advertiser, crafting images that seem normal but are subtly disorienting. The deep shadows and the muted palette give this painting a sense of mystery, but also of calm. As if the artist were presenting his viewers with a quiet enigma, inviting us to solve it. So, while the materials may be traditional, Magritte uses them to challenge our perception and provoke questions about reality and representation itself.