Sheherazade 1950

René Magritte made this painting, Sheherazade, by layering thin washes of color. It's like he’s thinking through painting, letting the image emerge slowly. Look at how the eyes and lips float, framed by this string of pearls. It reminds me of his word-image play, how he throws a wrench in our seeing machine. The pearls are almost cartoonish, a simple shape repeated to build something unsettling. Then there’s the watery backdrop, done with these quick, wispy brushstrokes. Magritte wasn’t trying to hide the process; he wanted you to see the artifice. Magritte reminds me of Philip Guston, in a way. Both were committed to figuration at a time when it wasn't popular, embracing a kind of awkwardness. Both artists suggest art isn't about answers but about creating spaces where we can ask interesting questions.