Act of violence 1932

René Magritte made this puzzling painting, Act of Violence, with oil on canvas. Everything is rendered with smooth, even brushstrokes, like an illustration. He wasn't interested in showing off his process. It's all about the image, not the paint. What's so striking is the juxtaposition of things. A blue block with fluffy clouds, a shiny orb, a building seen through an arch, and this framed image of a woman's torso. It's like Magritte is saying, "Here are things; now what do you make of them?" The way Magritte paints these objects—so precisely, so matter-of-factly—it almost makes them seem less real. It's like he's pulling apart the way we look at the world, asking us to question what's real and what's not. Think of the way Giorgio de Chirico's dreamlike cityscapes also play with perspective and invite us to enter into a slightly unsettling world. This piece makes you wonder what else is lurking beneath the surface of everyday life.