The Lovers II
I choose this picture to discuss because I believe it’s a lovely work of art and it has a lot of significance that really spoke to me.A man and a woman are seen kissing and being held in an embrace in The Lovers II. Some kind of cloth, either curtains or bedsheets, is covering their heads. They can’t really make physical contact in their kiss because of this cloth. Their features are clearly defined by the fabric’s tightness, yet the cloth is creased and folded along the sides of the two heads. The male is clothed in a suit and tie, while the lady is wearing a sleeveless red dress with white accent. Both figures are elegantly attired. I would infer that she is wearing a dress based on what little of the outfit we can see. This image’s main elements are the lovers and the room. Two individuals were shown by Magritte with their head covered in a white fabric, trapped in an ambiguous situation, and unable to communicate or touch properly. In contrast to the erotic and passionate situation of Gustav Klimt’s The Kiss, many people wonder whether this kiss represents a forbidden love. The deathlike substance that separates the two persons forever also adds a feeling of mystery that improves this image. The interior’s color palette gives it an almost diminutive look. No windows exist to offer perspective, and the vibrant hues are shadowed. But it’s amazing to see a room with such a variety of wall colors. The lovers are the major attraction and the one that inspires the most curiosity and mystique.
Rene Magritte is a well-known surrealist who often leaves viewers wondering about the strange elements in his paintings and what they may mean. Rene Magritte painted a picture titled “The Lovers II” in 1928 that shows two people kissing. The cloth sheet covering both people’s heads, which prevents them from really making physical touch, is the major emphasis of this painting. While a wall in the back is painted in various shades of blue, a red/brown wall on the side links the ceiling with the help of a light grey moulding (López-Aymes et al., 2020). It seems to be an open space rather than a wall since there is no molding connecting the blue wall to any other surface. When we consider the picture as a whole, the contrast between the outside and inside is evident.
The visitor may see two walls of the room where the individuals are standing in addition to the ceiling. The side wall’s aged brown-red color echoes the woman’s dress’s patterned red. This wall and the beige ceiling are divided by a moulding. Between the ceiling and the rear wall, there is, however, no molding. There are many tones of blue on the rear wall. The sky nearly seems overcast.
The meaning
I believe the artwork is a metaphor for how even those who are as close as lovers may never completely know one another. The cloth covering their faces prevents these characters from really seeing or touching one other. The two figures are quite near to one another, as lovers should be, yet despite their proximity, they both conceal or withhold a part of themselves from the other. It doesn’t matter whether the two individuals are doing it consciously or not. Every person is immensely complicated; it may be hard to completely understand another person, even if they are not doing so on purpose.
Even though they are unable to fully understand one another, the lovers’ needs are not met. Each character is constrained in their capacity for passion by their discontent and loneliness.
Analysis
Magritte is a highly fluid painter. There are no distinct brushstrokes in this painting, in contrast to how Van Gogh painted. The values have all been combined. This painting’s composition makes me think of an unposed picture. The figures are positioned such that most painters would naturally center them in the frame, but their features are off-center, giving the impression that the photographer rushed to get the image just right. This gives the picture a sense of immediacy, as if the situation was unexpected and the artist just happened to come upon it and capture it. Further preventing the painting’s symmetry is the fact that there is a wall on the right but not the left.
In this painting, complementary colors are used to some extent. The garment and wall’s brown-red contrast sharply with the rear wall’s blue-gray color. The painting’s colors are not vivid. Grey mutes the blue, and the red is light. The colors completely contradict the composition’s intended immediacy or even passion These aren’t the vibrant hues of a burning desire. The composition and the color are at odds in Magritte’s artwork. The idea that the lovers are unable to feel the intimacy and closeness they wish for is successfully supported by this (López-Aymes et al., 2020). The promise of a passionate moment is not realized.
Interpretation
I think The Lovers II is a rather dismal piece of art. The worst emotion I’ve ever had is loneliness, especially when it happens among other people. The couples stay alone and alone while being so close to one another. I’m reminded of all the romantic and platonic relationships that end up that way because of shoddy or worse, nonexistent communication between the participants.
Conclusion
Music, stories, or visual art appear to be effective ways for sadness to get my attention. The Lovers II also fits this description. This portrayal of loneliness is pretty lovely; it reminds me of a depressing song.
References
López-Aymes, G., Acuña, S. R., & Ordaz Villegas, G. (2020). Resilience and creativity in teenagers with high intellectual abilities. A middle school enrichment experience in vulnerable contexts. Sustainability, 12(18), 7670. https://www.mdpi.com/829574
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