Untitled collage 1926

René Magritte created this untitled collage by assembling paper cutouts against a brown wash. It’s hard to know what came first—did he begin with the sepia background, or with the cut-outs? I can imagine Magritte in his studio, rifling through scraps of paper, hunting for the right shapes and textures. How does the juxtaposition of images work in his mind? The score evokes harmony, while the bird conveys the fragility of life. The saw implies threat. Is he saying that beauty and destruction are always in play with one another? There’s a playful element too. Magritte was very influenced by Dada and Surrealism, which were interested in undermining reason, and tapping into the unconscious. Maybe he wasn’t trying to ‘say’ anything at all. Perhaps the collision of images was enough. Painters have always looked to each other, picking up and passing on ideas through time. Magritte probably knew the work of Picasso and Ernst, all those brilliant artists who were constantly trying to find new ways of seeing. It’s an ongoing conversation—long may it continue.