[Gallery Walk] Paintings That Twist Common Sense into Nonsense

Surrealism Masters: Masterpieces from the Boijmans Van Beuningen Museum
Computers, Internet, Smartphones, Artificial Intelligence
A World Dominated by Advanced Civilization Created by Reason
Pandemics, Nuclear Threats, Climate Crisis, and More
Problems That Reason Cannot Solve

Surrealism Dives into the Unconscious, Desire, Dreams, and Chance
Stimulating Imagination for Free Interpretation

Over 180 Works by Ren? Magritte, Salvador Dal?, and Others
On Display Until March 6 Next Year

Ren? Magritte's La Reproduction Interdite (1937).

[Asia Economy Reporter Donghyun Choi] A man stands looking into a mirror. Strangely, the mirror reflects not his face but his back. Next to him lies a book. Upon closer inspection, the book is reflected normally in the mirror. This is a paradox impossible in the real world. What was the artist trying to express?

This painting is "The Forbidden Representation" (1937) by Belgian surrealist painter Ren? Magritte (1898?1967). If a mirror is a representation of reality, then this painting depicts an impossible situation in reality, hence the adjective "forbidden." The charm of Magritte's paintings lies in encouraging viewers to engage in free thought and diverse interpretations.

Keeping one’s gaze fixed on the painting and letting imagination soar leads to thoughts of quantum mechanics. Quantum mechanics suggests that observation affects existence, limiting our ability to grasp the essence of objects. Atoms, the smallest units of matter, usually exist as waves but become particles the moment they are observed. This is a fact established by quantum mechanics. One interpretation is that the moment the man "observes" himself in the mirror, his essence turns away, and only the unobserved book reveals its true existence. Through this painting, Magritte may be pointing out the epistemological limits of human perception and the incompleteness of what is accepted as common sense and truth.

Salvador Dal?'s 'Couple with Clouds on Their Heads' (1936).

The early 20th century, when Magritte was actively working, was also the period when quantum mechanics was most vigorously discussed academically. At that time, philosophy and art were greatly influenced by quantum mechanics. Coincidentally, Magritte’s first solo exhibition was held in 1927 in Brussels, Belgium, where the 5th Solvay Conference?famous for the "physicist Avengers" photo?was also taking place. At this conference, leading physicists of the time, including Albert Einstein and Niels Bohr, fiercely debated how to explain quantum mechanics.

An exhibition where you can appreciate and enjoy interpreting works by surrealist artists such as Magritte, Salvador Dal? (1904?1989), Max Ernst (1891?1976), and Marcel Duchamp (1887?1968) is currently being held at the Hangaram Art Museum in Seocho-gu, Seoul. Titled "Masters of Surrealism: Masterpieces from the Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen," the exhibition features over 180 works by surrealist artists.

Andr? Breton's "Surrealist Manifesto" (1924) exhibited at the "Masters of Surrealism" exhibition.

Surrealism was derived from dadaism. Dadaism was a cultural and artistic movement that emerged toward the end of World War I. It developed as a reaction against the reason and rationality that had supported Western modernity, which culminated in a horrific war. It is characterized by the rejection of all social and artistic traditions and the pursuit of anti-rationality, anti-morality, and anti-art.

Surrealist artists, influenced by Sigmund Freud (1856?1939), delved into the unconscious, desires, dreams, and chance rather than human reason. At the entrance of the exhibition hall, Andr? Breton’s (1896?1966) "Surrealist Manifesto" (1924), which announced the beginning of surrealism, is also on display. The book includes this phrase: "The strange is always beautiful. Whatever is strange is beautiful. In fact, only the strange is beautiful."

Exhibition hall view of 'Masters of Surrealism'.

It has been about 100 years since dadaism and surrealism emerged. Has much changed since then? At the pinnacle of scientism based on human reason and rationality, advanced civilizations such as computers, the internet, smartphones, and artificial intelligence (AI) dominate the world. All are products of quantum mechanics. At the same time, numerous problems that human reason has failed to solve?or even caused?such as the COVID-19 pandemic, trade disputes, nuclear threats, refugees, and the climate crisis, are piling up. It is possible that another form of anti-rational movement could appear at any time.

This is why surrealism is gaining renewed attention at this point. Surrealism arouses interest in realms unreachable by reason and stimulates imagination, ultimately helping us better understand humanity. Scientific progress is, after all, the result of the imaginative human mind. The exhibition runs until March 6 next year.

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