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![Le Drapeau noir [The Black Flag]](http://www.nationalgalleries.org/media_collection/6/GMA 1261.jpg)
- © ADAGP, Paris and DACS, London 2004
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![Le Drapeau noir [The Black Flag]](http://www.nationalgalleries.org/media_collection/6/GMA%201261.jpg)
Le Drapeau noir [The Black Flag]
René Magritte
- © ADAGP, Paris and DACS, London 2004
René Magritte
Le Drapeau noir [The Black Flag]1937'The Black Flag' may refer to the German bombing of the small Spanish town of Guernica in April 1937 during the Spanish Civil War. Magritte later wrote that the picture 'gave a foretaste of the terror which would come from flying machines, and I am not proud of it.' In contrast to artists who praised technology, Magritte was showing that machines have their darker side. Looking closely at the planes, one can see that they are made of a variety of strange shapes. The plane on the bottom right has a long, curtained window where its wings should be.
Glossary Open
Spanish Civil War
A war in Spain that began following an uprising in Morocco in 1936. It was fought between the Republicans and the Nationalists, led by General Franco, who declared victory in 1939, and remained as head of state until his death in 1975. The bombing of the town of Guernica on 26 April 1937 was the subject of a major painting by Pablo Picasso.
Details
- Accession no. GMA 1261
- Medium Oil on canvas
- Size 54.20 x 73.70 cm
- Credit Purchased 1972
René Magritte (Belgian, 1898 - 1967)
Magritte was born in Belgium and, apart from a few years spent in Paris in the late 1920s, lived there all his life. Unlike many Surrealists, Magritte did not subscribe to the view that the unconscious could be expressed through chance or 'automatic' techniques. Instead, he planned and executed his paintings with all the deliberation and skill of an academic painter. The results are surprisingly credible images of seemingly illogical scenes. Magritte would undermine logic by tampering with scale and by placing unrelated objects in unexpected settings. A constant theme running through his art is the relationship that exists between the painted image and the visible world, between fiction and reality. Magritte's art blurs the boundaries between the two.
Glossary Open
Automatism
A painting or drawing process that aims to suppress rational thought, allowing the subconscious to take control. This spontaneous approach is associated with Surrealism and Abstract Expressionism.
Surrealism
A literary and artistic movement founded by the poet André Breton in 1924. Many of the associated artists, such as Max Ernst and Jean Arp, had previously been involved with Dadaism. The movement sought to challenge conventions through the exploration of the subconscious mind, invoking the power of dreams and elements of chance. Cultural hierarchies were challenged by the combination of diverse elements in collages and sculptural assemblages. The movement is also notable for the collaborations between artists and writers evident in the Surrealists' many publications.