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拍品专文
Mirage-like and evocative, the face of Shéhérazade shimmers, barely extant, before the viewer. The pearly curlicues from which Magritte has summoned this apparition are pierced in three places by human features, eyes looking blankly out at the viewer, challenging us to question the impossibility of this vision. There is a baroque decadence to the pearls, an implication of luxury, these features appearing reminiscent of the formal decorations of a Roman palace or an Adam stately home. Meanwhile, the eyes and nose recall masks, the opulence of the pearls combining to give Shéhérazade a haunting Carnival quality.
The title Shéhérazade has implications of wealth and exoticism, and even eroticism, the heady sensuality of the Arabian Nights conjured before us in this disjointed, disembodied form. The appearance of only these facial features makes it appear that we are perceiving a veiled woman from an impossible, mystical harem. This is singularly appropriate to Magritte's work, which is concerned with removing the veils through which we have become accustomed to see the world. In Shéhérazade, we have entered a strange world of sense and nonsense, of narrative and of enchantment that acts as a beguiling invitation into a realm that lies tantalizingly beyond.
One of Magritte's favourite motifs, the face of Shéhérazade featured in several great paintings. Usually presented against a landscape background, or in some other more complex context, here Shéhérazade stands alone. Magritte has removed any extraneous details, allowing the viewer to focus completely on her alone. There is an iconic strength to its presentation in this work, allowing the viewer to focus completely on the subject at hand. In this way, Magritte demands that the viewer confront and contemplate this conjured face.
Shéhérazade was executed in the late 1940s as a part of a commission by Jean Bourjou. A great collector of Magritte's paintings, Bourjou not only acquired works from exhibitions, but also directly from the artist. His closeness to the Belgian Surrealist is exemplified in a group of portraits that Magritte executed of members of Bourjou's family during the same period that Shéhérazade was created.
The title Shéhérazade has implications of wealth and exoticism, and even eroticism, the heady sensuality of the Arabian Nights conjured before us in this disjointed, disembodied form. The appearance of only these facial features makes it appear that we are perceiving a veiled woman from an impossible, mystical harem. This is singularly appropriate to Magritte's work, which is concerned with removing the veils through which we have become accustomed to see the world. In Shéhérazade, we have entered a strange world of sense and nonsense, of narrative and of enchantment that acts as a beguiling invitation into a realm that lies tantalizingly beyond.
One of Magritte's favourite motifs, the face of Shéhérazade featured in several great paintings. Usually presented against a landscape background, or in some other more complex context, here Shéhérazade stands alone. Magritte has removed any extraneous details, allowing the viewer to focus completely on her alone. There is an iconic strength to its presentation in this work, allowing the viewer to focus completely on the subject at hand. In this way, Magritte demands that the viewer confront and contemplate this conjured face.
Shéhérazade was executed in the late 1940s as a part of a commission by Jean Bourjou. A great collector of Magritte's paintings, Bourjou not only acquired works from exhibitions, but also directly from the artist. His closeness to the Belgian Surrealist is exemplified in a group of portraits that Magritte executed of members of Bourjou's family during the same period that Shéhérazade was created.