Year 1928–29 (1928–29) Created 1928–1929 | Media Oil paint | |
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Dimensions 63.5 cm × 93.98 cm (25 in × 37 in) Similar René Magritte artwork, Surrealist artwork, Oil paintings | ||
What is the treachery of images
The Treachery of Images (French: La trahison des images [la tʁaizɔ̃ dez imaʒ], 1928–29, sometimes translated as The Treason of Images) is a painting by the Belgian surrealist painter René Magritte.
Contents
Asmr the treachery of images by magritte
Description
The picture shows a pipe. Below it, Magritte painted, "Ceci n'est pas une pipe.", French for "This is not a pipe."
The famous pipe. How people reproached me for it! And yet, could you stuff my pipe? No, it's just a representation, is it not? So if I had written on my picture 'This is a pipe', I'd have been lying!
Context
Magritte painted The Treachery of Images when he was 30 years old. It is currently on display at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. His statement is taken to mean that the painting itself is not a pipe; it is merely an image of a pipe. Hence, the description, "this is not a pipe." The theme of pipes with the text "Ceci n'est pas une pipe" is extended in his 1966 painting, Les Deux Mystères.
The painting is sometimes given as an example of meta message conveyed by paralanguage. Compare with Korzybski's "The word is not the thing" and "The map is not the territory".