Rene Magritte's Role in Surrealism (Activities included)

Everyday Mysteries: René Magritte

René Magritte created this mysterious scene by changing the size of ordinary things. A giant comb stands on a bed, and a huge glass sits in the centre of the room! How can this mystery be explained? Is this a magic room where ordinary things have suddenly become gigantic? Or perhaps it is a dollhouse filled with household objects. Notice the strange walls. Some people think the room is covered in cloud wallpaper. Others imagine it is floating way up in the air.

Magritte looked at the world around him and sketched out his ideas. He made many drawings to plan his mysterious paintings. As you can see, everything in this imaginative room is painted with great detail to look very real.

Imagine if you woke up and your room looked like this!
What would you think?

  • What everyday objects do you see?
  • What is the object in the bottom right corner of the picture?
  • What are all these things doing together in the picture?
  • A comb is larger than a bed! How can this be?
  • Notice the sizes of things. What is strange about them?
  • Can you explain why the sizes of things are so mixed up?
  • Look into the cabinet. What do you notice?
  • Walls are made of clouds! How can you explain this mystery?
  • What else is strange about this room?
  • Look closely. How can you tell that the furniture is inside a room and not outside?
  • Use your imagination. What would it be like to live in a house like this?
  • What would you do with all of these things?

Make up a story about this dream house.

How can you change your everyday world into a magical place?
Create a mysterious world where everything is the opposite of what you would expect to see and anything is possible.



René Magritte, Personal Values, 1952,
oil on canvas, 80 x 91.5cm

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