The philosophy in the bedroom 1962

René Magritte made this painting, 'The philosophy in the bedroom,' with oil on canvas, though when is a bit of a mystery. It's a peculiar piece where Magritte has rendered a nightgown, but, instead of a body, we find these uncanny stand-ins. The application is pretty smooth, but if you look closely, you can see the way he’s hatched the paint, almost like a drawing. The details are crisp, yet there's a softness, a dreaminess, that makes it all the more unsettling. Look at the way the yellow ochre just bleeds into the white of the dress. That's a beautiful transition, a gentle, suggestive movement. You know, it’s funny because Magritte's always playing with these juxtapositions. It reminds me a bit of Picabia, with his mechanical drawings that were strangely erotic. Ultimately it’s not a definitive statement, but rather an invitation to question everything we think we know about the relationship between representation and reality.