L’amour de la nature 1961

René Magritte made this enigmatic painting, L’amour de la nature, with gouache, watercolor and pencil. Look at how the artist has created the blue sky, blending it into the clouds. This feels like a very conscious decision. The surface is mostly smooth, the textures created by subtle blending and layering. But then you get to the central figure, a queen from a chess set, collaged with musical notation. It’s such an unexpected choice that gives the painting a playful edge. The musical notes contrast sharply with the watercolor rendering of the sky, trees, and landscape. The flatness of the collage against the depth of the landscape is unnerving and wonderful. Magritte makes you look at the everyday in a new way. It’s not so different from Giorgio de Chirico’s metaphysical landscapes. And it makes you wonder, what is the relationship between music, nature, and chess?