Le thérapeute 1962

René Magritte painted "Le thérapeute," or "The Therapist," using oil on canvas, with a muted palette that gives a dreamy, melancholic vibe. It makes you wonder about the process, like, did he start with the sky and clouds and then build the figure around it? I’m drawn to the contrast between the heavy stillness of the figure and the lightness of the clouds inside. The way the robe-like form is painted – thick and textured, compared to the smooth sky – almost feels like a stage curtain pulled back to reveal a different reality. The brushstrokes in the sky are soft, blending seamlessly. Look at how the crescent moon in the dark blue sky contrasts the cloudy blue. The figure has their hand on a rock, this subtle detail suggesting the weight and reality of life. This work reminds me a bit of Giorgio de Chirico, who also played with surreal, dreamlike imagery, exploring the uncanny and the mysterious. With Magritte, there's always this questioning, this ambiguity that makes the work so compelling.