Magritte at the Peggy Guggenheim Collection in Venice
9:12 p.m.
07/27/17 - The Palazzo Venier dei Leoni was the residence of Peggy Guggenheim, a devoted colector of 20th century art. Today her house is a museum which exhibits her entire collection and where you can still feel the aura of the 17th century palace that overlooks the Great Canal. Among the many artworks, displayed throughout the rooms, you'll find René Magritte's "Empire of Light" (France, 1898 – 1967).
Between 1948 and 1964, the artist made 18 versions of this painting, which can now be found in museums around the world. However, the one at the Peggy Guggenheim's Collection is the largest in size: it measures 2 mts. It's a nocturnal scene, under a luminous sky with fluffy white clouds. With no other fantastic elements, but the paradoxical combination of day and night, Magritte disturbs our perception. In fact he used the words “surprise” and “charm” to define it. There's also a certain air of suspense in this deserted street, with a sinister rock to one side and that enigmatic house with no doors and its windows partially shut. Only two of the windows seem open and are illuminated from the inside. Except for the feeling that something is about to happen, nothing really happens in the painting. The artwork is, definitely, impersonal and veristic, a typical example of Surrealism.
Empire of Light (L’Empire des lumières), by Reneé Magritte (1953–54)
Technique: oil on canvas / Measures: 195.4 x 131.2 cm
Peggy Guggenheim Collection, Venice.
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