Le Manteau de Pascal 1954

René Magritte gave us this enigmatic gouache painting on paper, with delicate flicks of off-white and black, a palette he worked with to create a disquieting sense of mystery. Just imagine Magritte's thought process as he worked. He applied each brushstroke with care, probably layering the paint to give it depth and texture. I wonder if he started with an underpainting to establish the basic forms. Then, as he developed the composition, did he focus on capturing the precise nuances of light and shadow? The surface appears smooth, but I bet if we got closer, we would be able to see the subtle variations in the paint application. The coat hangs, suspended as if worn by an invisible man. It kind of reminds me of Giorgio de Chirico’s metaphysical paintings with their ghostly figures and dreamlike imagery. Ultimately artists, like Magritte, are in a continuous conversation across time. We all build on each other’s ideas. He made us think about the mystery of existence through paint.