The heart of the matter 1928

René Magritte painted this enigmatic tableau, dominated by a muted palette, with the technical proficiency of an old master. He could clearly paint really well but he painted unreal things. It’s like he’s thinking: how can I make a painting that is not like the thing it is supposed to be? What did it feel like to place a shrouded figure alongside a tuba and a suitcase? It looks like a stage set from a half-remembered dream. The woman’s hand obscures her neck, she can’t breathe, she is faceless. The tuba seems like a stand-in for something else. That blue background, thin paint scumbled across the canvas, might have been influenced by de Chirico’s dreamscapes. Like all painters, Magritte was in conversation with those who came before him. He’s whispering to us across time, inviting us to consider what painting can be. It doesn't give us answers but rather opens up possibilities and lets us wonder.