Les Fenêtres de l’aube 

René Magritte made "Les Fenêtres de l’aube" using oil paint on canvas, a traditional fine art medium. But his approach here is far from traditional. The juxtaposition of a landscape painting with what appear to be commonplace objects renders these items uncanny, asking us to consider how they were made. Note the pillow, which can be easily recognized as something produced at a domestic scale, perhaps even by hand, given the delicate crocheted edge. By contrast, the other, rather crumpled piece of cloth appears rougher, even more rudimentary. Magritte’s trompe-l'oeil effect is not just about the virtuosity of painting, but about how labor and production are valued. He challenges us to think about how we assign meaning to art and everyday objects and how we separate high art and craft. The material reality of his painting encourages us to question how we understand not just the making of art, but also its social and economic context.