I can think of no other painting that could be more appropriate for this site's maiden post than Rene Magritte's The Giantess (La Géante). Inspired by the Baudelaire poem of the same name (a work we'll look at another time), this piece displays Magritte's unequivocal play of perspective, while taking it to a heightened level of sensuality, something which normally seems lost within the unsettlingly bizarre or dryly geometric worlds of surrealism. The viewer is opened up to the cavernous space of a simple room, dictated by the looming woman, unaware and comfortable, yet easily powerful in appearance. I wonder, however, if she appears this way because of her relative size, or because her comfort itself.
Working from the early to mid 20th century, and famous for works such as The Son of Man, and The Human Condition, among many fantastic others, Magritte's style is defining of representational surrealism, with a focus on creating poetic imagery which works itself into a cohesive, satisfying whole, despite the dissonance in relation between objects. Contrasted with the schizophrenic, haphazard works of fellow surrealist Joan Miro, it is easy to see the delicate balance of space in the painting above.
Specs: 1929/30. Watercolor on paper, cardboard and canvas. 54 x 73 cm.
You can find more of Magritte's work here.
