The Empire of Light

Link to image ( Please note copyrights )

The Empire of Lights (French: L'Empire des lumières ) or The reign of light titled a series of oil paintings and gouaches by the Belgian surrealist René Magritte. The best known works of the subject are from the years 1949 to 1964.

Description

The series of paintings, of which there are many versions, each represents a rogue night piece that is painted in a naturalistic style. It shows the evening or night scenery of a road with a house whose windows are lit on the upper floor. Directly in front of the building, at the bottom center of the painting, there is a street lamp, whose light rays fall on the white plastered wall house with green shutters. Behind the house a dark forest lined up on. On the left side, in front of the building, is a large tree that dominates the picture. In an earlier, cross -format version of the painting from 1950 you can see a row of houses, and the point of the tree in the background with a square tower. [Figure 1 ] The always- night atmosphere, kept in a dark color palette is from a midday pastel - blue summer sky with white cumulus clouds contrasts, which leads the subject to absurdity. In other versions of the image is in the foreground, a lake that reflects the house with the lantern. [Figure 2 ] The paintings are each lower right, and signed on the back, with " Magritte ".

Background

Magritte said he owe the title of his friend the poet Paul Nougé (1895-1967), who also was one of the Belgian Surrealists:

" In the kingdom of lights I have played different ideas, namely a nocturnal landscape and a sky as we see him in the day. The landscape is reminiscent of the sky at night and day. I think this simultaneity of day and night has to surprise the force and charm. I call this power of poetry. "

Provenance

There are numerous versions of the work of the same title by Magritte, which asked to end of his life to the subject. The three most famous paintings, which were created in the years 1949 to 1964 are currently in the Museum of Modern Art, the Peggy Guggenheim Collection, and in the Royal Museums of Fine Arts in Brussels. Another interesting fact Magritte gouaches of the subject. The paintings in the Royal Museums of Fine Arts in Brussels was acquired directly from the artist.