The Treachery of Images Essay Example

Introduction

The Treachery of Images also known as Ceci n'est pas une pipe is a painting by the Belgian surrealist painter Rene Magritte. 'Ceci n'est pas une pipe' is the French translation for 'This is not a pipe.' Magritte produced the art in 1928 when he was 30 years old. The painting is currently on display at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. One of the most notable things about the painting is the contrast between the message and the painting. The painting is an illustration of a pipe, but the message below the illustration reads 'this is not a pipe.' The image has a brown pipe with a significantly darker handle. The artwork has a landscape layout with the painting facing to the left. The background of the piece is a slighter lighter version of the color of the pipe. Despite the simplicity of the image, the caption under the painting became the focal point of discussion as it seems to contradict what the art is displaying.

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RESEARCH

According to Poulin, Pierre, and Alain, the geometry, the placement and the characteristics of the light source are the first things an artist considers when designing a scene for a painting (160). In The Treachery of Images, Magritte used as dark edges that leave a lighter section in the middle. That gives the viewer the perception that the light is shining from above the image. Magritte used illumination to define the surface characteristics of the art and the scene. Also, it is important to note the artist's choice of color. The artist chose to go with brown as his primary color only increasing or decreasing the shade depending on the section of the painting. Such a monochromatic color scheme helps to enhance the observers' harmony of thought. Lichtenstein says that the use of different colors and various shapes to produce unity of representation inevitably leads to distortion of the symmetry of view and as per the principles of pure reason (1). Magritte as an artist started painting at age 12. At one point he worked with artists such as Picasso in an attempt to fend for himself. Magritte says that people keep reproaching him about the message and the image contradict each other. According to the artist, the painting is just that, an art, and any attempt to sinuate that he had just created a pipe, would be a blatant lie.

According to Hackler, Patrick, and Richard, The Treachery of Images is a reminder that abstract paintings, photographs, or even radiographs are merely representations of real things. They do not in any way reproduce the reality of what they portray. Magritte placed that caption because by including some aspects in the painting, he also excluded some other essential features. In essence, it is not possible for the eye to see and the brain to note everything. Therefore, people can only see what is included in the painting. But that's the point of Magritte paintings; they make the observer ask themselves the real questions about art. The image makes the viewer question the relationship they have with art and how they interact with paintings. The artist is challenging the terms of the reality that most people take for granted. The piece is there to address the semiotic gap between the visual and verbal aspects of the artwork. The viewers are the ones responsible for making the connection that exists between the painting and a real pipe. Magritte was trying to remind the art enthusiasts of that fact. However, whether one describes it as a representation of the real thing or the actual pipe, most people are aware that the art is not the real thing. That fact enables the observer to appreciate the talent that went into producing the artwork to represent the actual pipe.

APPLICATION

The Wikipedia page for The Treachery of Images has almost no information about the image. The page only talks about the painter, the meaning of the words on the painting and the time when the art was produced. The page offers a brief explanation on the meaning behind the art but not in a way that the reader can understand. The research will fit into the page by shining the light on the painting itself rather than the painter.

Furthermore, the research will enhance the information available on the logic behind the inscription 'This is not a pipe.' The Wikipedia page uses another similar example but doesn't explain the rationale behind the phrase. The message is such an essential part of the art and should be analyzed in detail to determine its application in the field of artwork. The research revealed that the message seeks to correct the discourse that exists between the visual and verbal aspects of art pieces. Moreover, of importance is the description of the painting. The Wikipedia page describes the physical aspects of the art-piece such as size and location but doesn't explain the art elements such as color and orientation. This research will fill that gap by describing the features such as color, and lighting.

Works Cited

Hackler, Patrick C., and Richard B. Gunderman. "The Treachery of Images." Academic Radiology 22.11 (2015): 1467-1468.

Lichtenstein, Jacqueline. The Eloquence of Color: Rhetoric and Painting in the French Classical Age. Vol. 18. Univ of California Press, 1993.

Magritte, Rene. "The Treachery of Images." ReneMagriette.org, 1929, https://www.renemagritte.org/the-treachery-of-images.jsp.

Poulin, Pierre, and Alain Fournier. "Painting surface characteristics." Rendering Techniques' 95. Springer, Vienna, 1995. 160-169.