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About the artwork
This artwork was added since it is referred to in the materials below
Art form: Painting
Subject and objects: Allegorical scene
Style of art: Surrealism
Technique: Oil
Materials: Canvas
Date of creation: 1948
Artwork in selections: 40 selections

Description of the artwork «Memory»

As a great master-surrealist, Rene Magritte studied the subtle connection, the response of reality in human thinking. He tried to find that truly magical tunnel through which the objects of reality acquire their appearance in our mind and fix it in the form of unique prints of memory, thus turning into symbols of our soul. And even not just in symbols, but in whole directions of our life.
The presented picture is a reflection on how the choice between two oppositions is constantly being made in a person’s memory. The glass symbolizes the idealism of the philosophical path of knowledge: Magritte uses this object more than once, placing the glass on one of his most famous paintings -"Hegel's Vacations" (1958). Hegel is known for his philosophy of the absolute and the study of the dialectic of knowledge. On the other side of the “Memory” canvas, on the other side of the scale, the universe offers us to taste earthly pleasures in the form of a simple and uncomplicated apple. As you can see, in both cases the choice was not made, because the glass is full and the apple looks intact. But something nevertheless changed as a result of this confrontation: there remained a living scar from the choice made, which makes itself felt at the expense of living blood, while the face is in otherworldly indifference - it almost merges with the surrounding reality. In addition, the head in the form of a sculpture shows the physical inability to truly drink a glass or bite off an apple. Margit’s famous move using marble sculptures speaks of monumental perception - looking at this face, an antique image of a handsome young man with pleasant and spiritual features appears without a hint of imperfection. Closed eyes, in turn, hint at immersion in the depths of memory, while it is not clear whether this young man is alive or dead, for in other works Magritte used marble incomplete sculptures, including as "living" objects. In general, Magritte used the image of a young man with a bloody stain more than once and in all cases it symbolizes memory.
The magic of life in this picture implements Hegel's philosophy and lies in the fact that we are constantly forced to make the same choice between the two great categories of thinking, and although we are not approaching the final answer, the process itself does not pass without leaving a trace, leaving “markers” "Mental torment. Magritte said: “If you look at a thing with the intention of trying to understand what it means, then you will no longer see the thing itself, but focus on your question.”

Author: Denis Nushtaev
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