The treason of the images

the Treason of the images (1929, oil on fabric, 59 X 65 cm, Los Angeles, County Museum) is one of the tables most famous of Rene Magritte. It represents a pipe, accompanied by the following legend: “ This is not a pipe ”. The most obvious intention of Magritte is to show that even painted in the most realistic way which is, a table which represents a pipe is not a pipe. It remains only one image of pipe which one can neither stuff, nor to smoke, as one would do it with a true pipe, just like “the word ‹dog› does not bite”, as the American semiologist said it William James.

Magritte developed besides this speech of the relationship between the object, its identification and its representation in several tables of 1928 to 1966, the series beginning with the Key of the dreams and being completed on a setting in abyss of the Treason of the images : the Two mysteries .

History of the series

In 1926, Magritte had outlined a reflection on the relationship between word and representation, already starting from a pipe, with a drawing representing three forms: an abstracted form, a representation of pipe, and the word pipe.

In 1927, the Clé of the dreams represents four boxes. In each box, a representation and a mot. For three of the four objects, there is no bond between the object and the word (a case is identified like the sky ). Only the fourth object (a sponge) is identified “correctly”.

In 1928, Magritte continues this research with the alive Miroir : indefinite forms on black bottom, only identified by words ( character bursting of laughing - horizon - cupboard - cries of birds ): the representation does not exist any more, only the words are there to give an account of reality. In 1929, Magritte completes the demonstration with the treason of the images , table emblematic of this series of which it will produce several versions.

In 1930, Magritte takes again also the topic of the Clé dreams : the fabric is separate in 6 boxes, each object “incorrectly” is identified.

Finally in 1966, Magritte will bring the final key to the series with “ the two mysteries ” (oil on fabric, 60x80 cm, particular collection London). This last table represents a rest on which is posed the Trahison of the images , while above one second pipe external with the table in table is represented. Is this second pipe supposed to be the model of the pipe of the table? It resembles to him by the form, but not by the color. It seems to be a representation désincarnée of pipe, theoretical, without shadow, while the pipe of the table in table is represented in a more meticulous way, more figurative, with an obvious intention to make of it perception more “real” that the pipe except table which thus has the air minus “image” that of the small table. Which is then a pipe, and which is only representation of a pipe?

Interpretation

Many interpretations were given to these tables, in particular by Michel Foucault in This is not a pipe (1973) in the edition of which are published, in appendix, two letters of Magritte. The most obvious explanation consists in noting simply that the image of a pipe is not a pipe indeed, and that Magritte mobilizes, by the apparent paradox contained in these fabrics, the imagination and the reflection of the spectator which will draw from them the conclusions which it will wish on the question of the reality of the things in general.

More precisely at that time and in painting but also in the literature of the writers of science fiction A.E. van Vogt, Isaac Asimov and others, the artists will introduce into the art of the human theories and sociology popularized in years 1950/60. That refers to the general Sémantique (1933) whose most representative sentence is “the chart is not the world”.

Sources

Analysis of key tables of Magritte by Jacque Meuris, its biographer
tables of the series

See too

Internal bonds

External bonds

the words and the images, by Magritte
Extracts from the test " '' This is not a pipe '' " by Michel Foucault
Relations between titles and works: Rene Magritte
a semiolinguistic analysis of subtitling by Magritte " '' This is not a pipe '' " - Thesis of Paul Memmi to be downloaded, pp. 150 and following.

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