L’OKAPI 1958

This is René Magritte’s painting, L’OKAPI, of which the date is unknown. It's really about a person with a flower on their head—but not just any flower. It's like some giant, white alien-like bloom with leaves. The back of the person is facing us. We can’t see their face; they have a bowler hat, you know, the Magritte signature, and then, instead of a head—BAM!—it’s this enormous white flower. The painting is kind of flat, matte, and a little bit dreamy. I imagine Magritte painting it slowly, carefully placing those surreal elements. The painting feels calm, but I bet he wasn't feeling that way on the inside. Magritte's always playing with what's hidden and what's shown, like he's saying, "Hey, reality's not what you think." It makes me wonder about the conversations artists have across time. How are they whispering to each other through their work? It's like they're saying, "Let’s throw the rules out and see what happens!"