Summary Of René Magritte's The Lovers II

Observing an image can cause a range of emotions, thoughts, and theories to form in one’s head, especially when dealing with artistic creations. When studying Belgian René Magritte’s The Lovers II, the second work in the Les Amants series of paintings, my experience was no different than what I have stated previously. Created in the prime of the surrealism movement, the work portrays exactly what the era was all about. This form of art was incredibly popular in Europe at the time, and René Magritte was known for producing works of this sort, though this piece is not traditionally surrealist. World War I had only ended some years prior to, so European countries were still troubled by the destruction and were in the midst of rebuilding what had

There are many relationships like these that result when either one or both parties develop suspicions. Whether this be directed toward their significant other or something within their self, it does often slow down the process of having a healthy, blooming relationship. Because a traditional surrealist artist’s common focus is to bring awareness to issues that were not otherwise being spoken about, the main idea of this painting appears to be that mentally driven factors within relationships cause a tension cannot be ignored. In the Surrealist Manifesto, surrealism is defined as “‘[p]sychic automatism in its pure state, by which one proposes to express…the actual functioning of thought…in the absence of any control exercised by reason, exempt from any aesthetic or moral concern”’ (MoMA Learning). Using simpler words, this art is commonly told to be an outlet for those who wish to showcase subconscious thoughts in the most genuine state where outside influence is eliminated. Thus, Magritte most likely created this canvas painting in hopes to bring awareness to the way overthinking and being psychologically overwhelmed can become suffocating, eliminating the chance for intimacy in a romantic relationship between two people. Because of this, it will cause much frustration and continuous strain. These are the things that many people were ignoring, but Magritte urged for the public to think