Perspective Madame Récamier II

In 1950-1960, Rene Magritte painted some of his most important works, and during the same period he created the series "Perspectives", the characters of which were "turned" by the artist into coffins.
Heroes in particular have undergone such reincarnation. Manet's "balcony", "Madame Recamier" by Gerard and "Madame Recamier" by David: Magritte created his versions (3) of these paintings, playing, according to various researchers, either the theme of the immortality of people depicted in the great canvases, or the fragility of female beauty, or the mortality of people in general.

"Perspective" Madame Recamier "Gerard" was written by the artist in 1950. The entourage of Magritte's painting exactly repeats its original version: we see a classic interior with columns and an upholstered armchair, on which, however, sits not a secular lioness from the times of Napoleonic France, but a wooden coffin. Only a yellow shawl that once framed a slender figure and a small footrest reminds of Madame Recamier.

How accurately the painter sought to convey the atmosphere of Gerard's canvas, we can judge by a postcard lined with squares found among the personal belongings of Rene Magritte.

Currently, the painting "Perspective" Madame Recamier "Gerard" is in a private collection.

The text was prepared by Elina Bagmet