The Mysteries of the Horizon
The Masterpiece or The Mysteries of the Horizon (French: Le Chef-d'Oeuvre ou Les mystères de l'horizon) is a 1955 Surrealist oil painting by René Magritte.
| The Mysteries of the Horizon | |
|---|---|
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| Artist | René Magritte |
| Year | 1955 |
| Medium | Oil on canvas |
| Dimensions | 50 cm × 65 cm (19.69 in × 25.59 in) |
The painting depicts three seemingly identical men in bowler hats. They are in an outdoor setting at twilight. Though they appear to be sharing the same space each one also seems to exist in a separate reality. Each is facing a different direction. In the sky above each figure is a separate waxing crescent moon.
Men in bowler hats appear frequently in Magritte's work starting with his 1926 painting The Musings of a Solitary Walker. They are represented as having undefined or identical personalities. Magritte himself is often seen wearing a bowler hat in photographs.
Margitte made a gouche in 1964 with the same subject matter, also titled Le Chef-d'Oeuvre ou les Mystères de l'Horizon (The Masterpiece or the Mysteries of the Horizon)[1][2]
References
- "impressionist & modern art {!} sotheby's l05002lot000203056990027000en".
- David Sylvester (ed.), Sarah Whitfield and Michael Raeburn, René Magritte, Catalogue Raisonné, Gouaches, Temperas, Watercolours and Papiers Collés, London, 1994, vol. IV, no. 1547, illustrated p. 264
- The Mystery of Magritte CD-ROM by Virtuo