Good faith 1965

This is René Magritte's painting "Good Faith," and the way he applies paint is so smooth it's almost unsettling, a bit like the uncanny feeling you get from the image itself. The surface is so flat, so evenly rendered. There's no visible brushwork, no texture to speak of, which contributes to this strange feeling that it's not quite real. Look at how the pipe seems to float, almost pasted onto the face – the edges are so sharp and distinct. The colours are muted, subtle. The way the red tie just pops and draws your eye. It's this understated quality that gets me, like a carefully constructed dream, or a stage set that's just a little too perfect. Magritte plays with our expectations, challenging our perception of reality. You know, it's like de Chirico meets corporate culture, an odd pairing, a bit like this pipe stuck onto this guy's face, and yet, somehow it works.