A stroke of luck 1948

René Magritte made this painting, A Stroke of Luck, using oil on canvas. Look closely, and you'll notice how the pigment is applied in these really small brushstrokes, this kind of broken color creates a feeling of light and air, the overall effect is to make the solid forms appear less dense, more ephemeral. Magritte is really playing with our expectations here. The pig itself is rendered with a kind of soft, almost fuzzy texture. The curves of the pig's head, are so tactile, that you can almost imagine reaching out and touching it. All of this is set against the dark, almost impenetrable mass of the pig's jacket. It reminds me of the way that Ensor used masks and costumes to create a sense of alienation. Magritte is often grouped with the Surrealists, but I think he's doing something different, something stranger, than just painting dreams, there's a philosophical undertone to the work.