La belle promenade 1965

‘Everything we see hides another thing.’ Knock knock, who’s there? Well… no one! The absence of identity is a common motif in the strange and unsettling body of work by René Magritte (1898-1967). 👀 Magritte was a Belgian Surrealist painter who often explored themes of reality and representation. In this gouache, ‘La Belle Promenade’ (The Beautiful Walkway, 1965), he challenges the viewer with an enigmatic figure who emerges from behind a concrete wall. The background forest has been flattened and completely lacks any sense of depth, which subverts traditions of realistic perspective. The silhouette of the figure, complete with a distinctive bowler hat, dominates the composition – yet his identity remains hidden. Rather than present a typical portrait likeness, Magritte has filled the silhouette with the image of a cloudy sky. ☁️ Due to the presence of the bowler hat shape, it is often speculated that ‘La Belle Promenade’ was intended as an unconventional self-portrait. Magritte himself often wore this style of hat as his signature fashion. It was also closely associated with the middle-classes of the 1960s. How does this change your interpretation of the work? 🎩 Here, the artist has dismantled convention in order to construct an unexpected and thought-provoking image. He disrupts tradition and forces the viewer to reconsider their relationship to artworks. 🖼️ So, what do you think of this painting? Is it a parody of the self-importance suggested by traditional self-portraits? Does it represent the supposed collective consciousness of the everyday masses, or Magritte himself? Does it undermine established rules of art? You decide! 💭👇 Editor: Lucy Jude Grantham