The fine idea 1964

René Magritte created this strange dreamscape, "The fine idea," using oil paint, with what looks like small, soft brushes. The way he's built up the colors is fascinating, a real process of layering and seeing. Look closely, and you'll notice the texture. The paint isn't smooth; it's almost like a mosaic of tiny strokes, especially in the trees and the horse's mane. It's these marks that give the painting its dreamy, surreal quality. And that horse-tower combo? Genius! It's absurd, but somehow, it makes perfect sense in Magritte's world. The horse's pale pink skin contrasts with the green of the background in a really striking way. The green mark-making makes the horse seem almost incandescent. Magritte’s work often plays with these kinds of unexpected combinations, like looking at de Chirico, another painter who embraced the poetics of mystery and visual poetry.