This is not a pipe: explanation and analysis

René Magritte (1898-1967) was a prominent surrealist painter Belgian especially known for his provocative and witty character. Magritte tried to disrupt the preconditioned perception of what surrounds us to force us to observe and take a more critical look at our environment. For this I create a good number of ambiguous images with a meaning embodied in words or in a sentence with which he tried to question the relationship between what was painted and reality.

In this lesson from unPROFESOR.com we offer you the explanation and analysis of This is not a pipe, one of the most famous and controversial works of the artist. Discover it with us!

Index

1. Ceci n'est pas une pipe: meaning
2. Explanation of This is not a pipe
3. Analysis of the work

This work of the surrealist painter René Magritte shows a pipe and, below it, a quote from the artist, written in French, "Ceci n’est pas une pipe", which translated means "This is not a pipe."

The work was created in 1929, being really disconcerting since at first it seems to us that the phrase contradicts what is represented. But, if you look at the words, Magritte plays with the different meanings of the word pipe as we stick to its meaning in English, well in French. Thus, in English, effectively the pipe is not a pipe (pipe), while in French it is a pipe. On the other hand, it was also interpreted underlining that not really a pipe, but the painting of a pipe.

Be that as it may, the painting was received with some rejection since they considered it to be a nihilistic painting. But This is not a pipe is a surrealist artwork that tries to be honest with art and tries to offer the viewer something more than what he thinks he sees or knows. It tries eradicate traditional and oppressive rationalism of the society.

The interpretation of this painting always depends on what the viewer perceives while he contemplates it. The pipe is not just a pipe, it is an oil painting on canvas and also an object that can be used to smoke tobacco. The painting encourages the viewer to use their mind and look for alternatives to reality and look for other ideas or interpretations that are also valid. It is not so much about knowing what it is, but that the viewer is aware of that moment of questioning what he is seeing.

On the other hand, the painting shows us the fascination that Magritte felt at the time of mix words and pictures and play with them. A constant that is attributed to the fact that the artist worked for a time as a commercial artist.

Another point to be highlighted in this explanation and analysis of This is not a pipe is that the painting displeased many viewers for that break between the written message and the image. That clash, that rupture between what is seen and what is read supposes a clash for those more rigid people. An option that was not accepted by realism, but Magritte tried to question reality and shake consciences and question everything that he thinks he knows. Thus, everything that one thinks they know becomes something strange and questionable, without being able to see reality again in the same way.

According to the French philosopher Michel Foucault, being able to analyze and understand This is not a pipe it requires the viewer to begin by understanding himself. It is to be understood that language and reality do not share any organic relationship and that the names of the objects do not appear when they are looked at. Thus, the signs, the words with circumstantial and established conventions.

According to Foucault, there would be no contradiction in the painting since it can only exist between two texts or two images, never between a text and an image.

The author of This is not a pipe: René Magritte

Magritte, known for create witty and provocative images, he defied preconditioned thinking and is considered a forerunner of pop art, concept art, and minimalism. An artist who also provoked critics by repeating many times by repeating the same works, making numerous copies of his works.

What's more, Magritte did not consider himself an artist either., pointing out a certain correlation between "This is not a pipe" and her claim that she is not an artist. Rather, Magritte defined himself as a philosopher, theorist, or thinker who uses simple, everyday objects to communicate his philosophical thoughts and ideas visually.

In summary, Magritte is interested in how art changes our vision of the world. Nothing is as simple as we see it, but its meaning is right before our eyes. But the problem is not in what we see, but in our thoughts and the language that structures our mind and allows us to see in a freer way. Knowing how to look can offer us different and new perspectives. Our mind will let us grasp all the mysteries behind the work and will lead us to reflect on what we see.

If you want to read more articles similar to This is not a pipe: explanation and analysis, we recommend that you enter our category of Story.

• Paquet, Marcel (2019), René Magritte, Taschen
• Zabuscampi (2018), Magritte: This is not a biography, Norma Editorial