I started analyzing paintings, when, for the very first time, I heard the common saying “a picture speaks a thousand words.” When I realized this reality, art became a mystery to me – a mystery I was set on solving. Each painting has hidden meaning, whether the artist intended this or not.
"The Treachery of Images," a painting by French Surrealist Painter Rene Magritte is a prime example of this. What separates this specific image and its message from others is its use of language. So, what is "The Treachery of Images" trying to say?
To the untrained eye, this legendary painting could easily be dismissed at first sight. The first reaction being that it is an illustration of a pipe, and below the pipe are the words "Ceci n’est pas un pipe.” This is not a pipe. We look at this image, but to really understand it, we need to first understand ourselves. Human beings have assumed for centuries that language and reality have an organic relationship, that the names of things came about us viewing. That an apple is an apple, and a tree is a tree when, in all actuality, we don’t really know things, but just access their image through language. We are confident that what we say and what we see correspond. In reality, this is completly untrue, and when we are reminded of this simple fact, it strips us of our certainty. This is especially true for Magritte's work. It is the very firmness of this relation, in fact, which makes the contradiction between the picture and the writing in Magritte’s drawing so problematic and, ultimately, troubling.
Magritte had this goal of evoking confusion and thought with his paintings, he wanted to make us question our own reality. With the slightest examination of this painting, your entire reality becomes questioned. Everything you know and everything you think you know becomes some unfamiliar stranger. This question is moved to the center of your mind, and once it is there, it is difficult to ever see anything the same again. This thin sheet of reality is lifted and a whole new perspective on life is given to you, and it all started with a glance behind the seemingly normal painting. What makes art so inspiring, so intriguing to those who take the time to look is simple; we don’t trust our own eyes. Our eyes take one look and can become uninterested, but our minds, they understand the mysteries and thought-provoking questions that are waiting for us. The most amazing part about this? These are just my thoughts, my views of this painting. There are an infinite amount of ideas and clues to what is happening in this painting, and they are all out there waiting for you to look.
