Art Captions

Author notes

0027. The Treachery of Images.

CornTown

on Feb. 14, 2010

By René Magritte (1898-1876)
Circa. 1928-30
Surrealism

La trahison des images (Translated to”The Treachery of Images) aims to question what the viewer sees when looking at art. Though the pipe is rendered in a realistic manner, it is not a pipe. In all reality, the painting is merely a palate of colors on a cloth canvas. Now, take this idea and apply it to all art. Every single drawing, painting, sculpture, comic book, and print ever made are all lying because they are trying to be something that they are not. According to Magritte, these artworks in the end, are only altered versions of their raw resources.