[In-Depth Look] A Self-Portrait of Memory and Imagination

Director Kim Bora

If we had to lose everything we have, what would truly remain until the very end?

Memories often get buried with time. However, just like the protagonist in French writer Marcel Proust’s (1871?1922) "In Search of Lost Time" who is magically brought back to life by the scent of madeleine dipped in black tea, memories can suddenly revive.

According to Proust, the senses can unknowingly move thoughts. Memories that unintentionally take us back to childhood ultimately become clues to overcoming a confusing present. The house in Illiers-Combray where Aunt Leonie lived is where the novel’s journey begins. The stairs leading to the bedroom, the park where first love’s excitement started, the beautiful cathedral at sunset, and Uncle Swann’s flower garden all invite us to re-experience childhood memories. In honor of Proust’s 100th birth anniversary, the village was renamed after his novel. Even now, many descriptions from the novel remain intact throughout the village, making it a mysterious place that blurs the line between fiction and reality.

Proust sought to reclaim the lost world to enrich present life. Memory is not about any movement or event but an invisible inner painting that can be newly composed within recollection. Ultimately, it becomes the soil that nurtures imagination, allowing one to reclaim oneself and live as oneself.

Imagination does not exist in reality. Yet, the works of Belgian surrealist painter Ren? Magritte (1898?1967) are filled with familiar imaginations. Everyday objects lead to unpredictable ends of thought. The British rock group The Beatles’ album was adorned with an apple from Magritte’s work. His art also inspired the movie "The Matrix" and the British rock group The Rolling Stones’ albums. Furthermore, his works frequently appear in modern culture such as literature, advertising, and book design, always prompting questions and encouraging many to think. One might expect a grand and fantastic atelier from Magritte’s works. However, his imagination surprisingly started in a small and humble house.

After breaking away from the surrealists in Paris, France, the painter returned to Belgium and went through his poorest period. That house remains as a memorial on the outskirts of Brussels. He lived there for 24 years and produced most of his works during that time.

The house was so small that Magritte painted in the kitchen, clearing away his tools to have meals. He often gathered with guests in the same place. It became a very symbolic space for him.

According to poet Louis Scutenaire (1905?1987), who wrote Magritte’s biography, "Magritte was satisfied with minimal tools: one easel, one paint can, one palette, a dozen brushes, one or two sheets of white paper in a box, one eraser, one charcoal pencil, a pair of sewing scissors, one piece of charcoal, and one old black pencil."

"Everyday objects gain intellectual meaning the moment they are freed from the obsessive will to assign them practical meaning." As Magritte said, ordinary objects no longer exist within his paintings. The visible world transforms into an invisible one. Imagination transcends the environment. For Magritte, who wrote poetry through painting, what he ultimately needed was his own eyes and thoughts.

A year is passing by. Though I have run hard, I had to stop. I had no choice but to admit that the structure called everyday life, which seemed well-built, could never be perfect. I have followed the light for a long time, yet I am still in the middle of a long tunnel. Is there an end to this path? Soon, I hope to leave behind the time of loss and be able to paint a self-portrait filled with memory and imagination...

Kim Bora, Director of Seongbuk-gu Art Museum

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.