I enjoy Diane Tucker’s exquisite art blog, “The Shy Museumgoer”. She has a new article up discussing the Belgian painter, René Magritte, (1898 – 1967) and you should just go read it.
https://theshymuseumgoer.com/2025/07/15/magritte-surrealist-paintings-analysis/
Tucker does fascinating, carefully researched stories, and uses lots of images to make her points. Included in her discussion are some of Magritte’s most iconic images. I recognize them though I wouldn’t have been able to name their creator. In this case I absolutely love Magritte’s landscape paintings that are paintings within paintings. Or a painting of a painting.
The National Gallery of Art has some of Magritte’s work but it is not in the public domain. However, it’s worth checking out. This is a lovely drawing.
https://www.nga.gov/artworks/90726-paysage-de-baucis-landscape-baucis
And this https://www.nga.gov/artworks/164937-study-blank-signature is another lovely drawing that then turns into a painting at this link. https://www.nga.gov/artworks/66422-blank-signature
The two together show the deep level of artistic ability and technical expertise necessary to create the seeming simplicity of Magritte’s images.
The Daily Art Journal has a story about Magritte and Georgette Berger. https://www.dailyartmagazine.com/rene-and-georgette-magritte-a-love-story/ She was his first and last love, and as The Shy Museumgoer points out, were married for 45 years. According to this account René met Georgette when he was 15 and she was 12. She was the daughter of the local butcher. He fell in love with her but then the families moved away from each other. He met her again after WWI. (Many stories claim this was when he first met her.) This time he married her and stayed married till he died. One of his famous images, included in The Shy Museumgoer’s post, is of two people kissing through veils that cover their heads. I see this image differently when I know that Magritte loved someone very dearly over a long period of time.
There are some other fascinating links in Diane Tucker’s article. Follow them.
**One thing I might mention. Do Not waste time on renemagrittedotorg. It comes up right away on google but is filled with ads, and immediately says things like, Magritte married Georgette blah blah blah. Who is Georgette? You won’t find it there.
Hi Janey,
I didn’t know that René and Georgette may have known each other as children. Thank you for adding this bit to their romantic story.
Cheers,
Diane
LikeLiked by 1 person
It was a lovely article.
And you know I love your blog!
LikeLiked by 1 person