Rene Magritte's art stretched the boundaries of our perception, challenging viewers to alter the way they look at the world and reality as we know it. Accepting what we see as real is different from acknowledging what we know to exist and how we perceive it. Magritte's Treachery of Images is a simple painting of a pipe with the statement, "Ce n'est pas une pipe." Simply stating that the image of the pipe is not a pipe itself, but an image of one. This question of perception has inspired thousands of artists and millions of those who are willing to accept an alternate view.
We viewed his works at a special show at the Los Angeles Contemporary Museum of Art, along with the works of other modern artists and surrealists. Inspired by Magritte, artists created pieces that challenge logic and cause you to look at the world with an adjusted viewpoint.
The Ladder of Fire displays three items, a scrap of paper, a chair and an elaborate Horn, all engulfed in flame and shown as such left to right. The complexity and "value" of each item increases from left to right from the paper to the horn, so our brain may give off feelings of concern for the items, although, within the picture, although they are covered in flame, they appear unharmed. This also brings us to the final point, that in the end, it is also not an actual fire, but simply an image of one.
The limitations of our perception stretch beyond an understanding of Modern Art and into every decision we make on a daily basis. Opening your mind to a myriad of possibilities, even unrealistic and illogical ones gives you a wider worldview and a new way of appreciating the world around us.
