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1929

The Six Elements

René Magritte

Belgian, 1898 - 1967

Magritte's title calls to mind the basic elements of the universe---air, water, fire, and earth---although the connection between these and the images in the painting remains mysterious. Painted at the end of a three-year stay in Paris, during which Magritte became a full-fledged Surrealist, The Six Elements exemplifies the artist's ability to lure viewers into questioning the relationship between language and image, the rational and the irrational.

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René Magritte, The Six Elements, 1929 | Philadelphia Art Museum