Rene Magritte and Surrealism Reading

1.     What is surrealism?
creative potential of the unconscious mind, one way is juxtaposition of images.
2.     What motif did Magritte use in many of his works? Why was this significant?
The man wearing the bowler hat; Magritte had another job were he dressed as a business man as well as many others around him which inspired him

3.     In his work Golconda, why is it important that Magritte varied the image of the man in the bowler hat?  How does it add depth to the work?
It showed he could paint in a realistic style and it makes people look more closely. He made the people in the back smaller and the people in the front larger to show that some are closer. 

4.     Why did surreal artists choose to create strange worlds with their art?
wanted to bring their dreams to the real world

5.     Explain how the techniques of juxtaposition, altered scale, and language help Magritte explore Surrealism.  Juxtaposition compares two or more things which shows the realism between them. Altered scale makes people think about it and some artist like to make things the correct size and some like to make them bigger or smaller.

6.     What would be a few reasons why Magritte would cover the faces of his subjects?
his mother drowned and when they pulled her out her face was covered

7.     Why did Magritte strive for realism & precision in his paintings?
he believed it allows viewers to focus on the subject of a work instead of the techniques used to paint

8.     Google more of Magritte’s work and include 2 images that interest you.

o   Explain the technique(s) used to enhance the work

o   Hint – review the words in bold from the reading
In both pieces he uses the motif of the hat. Some might say its a self portrait of himself. These pieces show that he keeps his work consistent. He uses different scales. The man is in the background and the object is in the foreground.