René Magritte
René Magritte is a Belgian Surrealist artist born in 1898. He is famous for his witty and peculiar images.
Magritte first started off his career working as a draughtsman at a wallpaper factory, but then he moved to Paris and became involved with the surrealist movement. The characteristic of René Magritte’s surrealism is illusionistic and dreamlike. Also, unlike the Surrealist automatism style of Joan Miró or André Berton, Magritte’s style is more representational with his use of ordinary objects in strange spaces.
In his artworks, René Magritte challenges the viewers’ preconceived ideas on reality and make a twist in their way of thinking. Magritte’s depiction of ordinary objects in an odd and unusual context creates a paradox. His works are beautiful itself with its clear and simple images, but at the same time, they provoke an odd and unsettling feeling. Such a technique used by surrealist is called “Dépaysement” — a strange and distorted feeling, like a feeling of not being in one’s country. An object is displaced in a place where it does not belong and create a weird relationship with its surroundings. Magritte deifies the prevalent thoughts among society and instead throws a question at us with his poetic imageries.
Influencing my Chindōgu.
René Magritte’s works and thoughts help me think in a different way. I have a hard time thinking out of the box. I feel like there is an invisible chain trying to restrain me from walking out or breaking out from the box. So most of my works have been very standard. Some ideas may have been creative or peculiar, but still creative within a limit. However, René Magritte’s works are very different from my works and they challenge my thought process. His works are effective in how the juxtaposition of objects can create a weird feeling. Similar to this process, Chindōgu is also created through a juxtaposition of ideas and I think this thought process will help me in being more creative about my own creation. I guess having a refreshment in my mind, like Magritte’s works, I will be able to create a weird tool.
