Les muscles célestes 1927

René Magritte made *Les muscles célestes* with oil on canvas, layering reality and illusion in a way that tickles your brain. The black silhouettes in the foreground create these mysterious shapes, almost like cutouts against the cloudy sky. Look at the textures – the heavy impasto in the black areas gives them a tangible, almost sculptural quality, while the muted tones of the sky create a weird contrast. The wooden planks of the floor add to this sense of flatness. Your eye bounces back and forth between foreground and background, like a strange conversation. It reminds me of de Chirico, another artist who played with perspective and symbolism. But unlike de Chirico, Magritte seems to invite a bit of humor into the mix. He is almost poking fun at the seriousness of art itself. It’s this constant push-pull between the familiar and the absurd that makes Magritte so endlessly fascinating.