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The lovers

René Magritte • Painting, 1928, 54×73.4 cm
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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: 1928
Size: 54×73.4 cm
Artwork in selections: 422 selections
Audio guide

Description of the artwork «The lovers»

If you do not take into account the tragic story of the mother of René Magritte (more details in the biography of the artist), which is often linked to the integuments on the faces of the characters in the movie "Lovers", there is another version about the reasons why the artist liked to portray the "anonymous" people. The fact that Magritte was an avid fan of films, particularly films about the years 1913-1914 Fantomas, directed by Louis Feuillade. According to some critics, this passion has influenced the artist's work and awakened in him a love for the game of hide and seek.

There are several interpretations of the paintings "Lovers". And two of them are completely opposite to each other. The first is that Magritte has depicted in the painting is the personification of the popular phrase "Love is blind". Blindness and the absolute: the characters in the movie are a mystery and for others, and for each other, besides, they are so consumed with passion that you can't see or hear anything around. As for the second, more optimistic interpretation, the man and the woman on the canvas managed to grasp the love of such force that it is able to feel real intimacy, regardless of any the veil of mystery and share their obstacles.

The second version of the picture that appeared in the same year 1928, written with a completely different mood. If the first fabric is some unaccountable shudder, the inconceivable feeling of hopelessness or even fear, it is the second painting of the same loved ones, rather filled with peace and rest. Magritte takes his characters from the enclosed space of the room and their own private little world is full of colors in the huge world that represents the landscape behind them. Faces of men and women continue to be covered with a cloth, but facing the viewer, and their postures become more calm and relaxed. And it seems as if through a thin veil you can see their smiles.

Author: Eugene Sidelnikov
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