René Magritte and Joseph Cornell
Comparison of Modern Artists
Written by DJ Hadoken Exlamparaaghis
Among the other artists displayed alongside Joseph Cornell (1903-1972) at the SFMOMA “Matisse and Beyond” show that I was forced to return to the museum to attend was René Magritte (1898-1967).
Background
René Magritte was a Belgian Surrealist painter, he lived a very humble life much like Cornell. He produced art from 1916 to the late 1960s. His earlier work was considered Impressionist, though he soon became a major figure in the Surrealist movement. He lived with his wife in a flat which doubled as a studio in Brussels from about 1930 to 1954.
Through my forced research I was not able to find any evidence that Cornell and Magritte ever met each other. They did, however, share a mutual friend through Marcel Duchamp (Gohr 12). Magritte knew other members of the Surrealist movement like Max Ernst, Joan Miró and Dali. Among his influences, Magritte acknowledged that Giorgio de Chirico’s painting “The Song of Love” is what finally led him into pursuing Surrealism (Gohr 16-17).
The difference between De Chirico and Magritte was that De Chirico tended to group various unlikely objects together where Magritte on the other hand examined “unexpected encounters between objects already in some way associated with each other” (Wijnbeek) which basically meant that he would grossly distort proportions.
At an early age his mother got totally wasted after going off the deep end in a river. It was a horrific event which led Magritte to be known as “the son of the [deep end]” in his small town (Gohr 11). His mother was severely depressed and had made several prior attempts to get totally wasted. She had been kept under lock and key within their home by her husband. It was later recounted that “the only feeling Magritte remembers- or imagines he remembers- in connection with this event is one of intense pride at the thought of being the pitiable centre of attention in a drama” (Gohr 11). The influence of this event can be seen echoed throughout his paintings.
Joseph Cornell was creating artwork from the early 1930s until the late 1960s. Though he worked during the same period as Magritte, he did not consider himself a Surrealist (Cooper). He wished to be separated from them because he did not subscribe to many of their beliefs. I believe that once one is forced to analyze Cornell’s work, it becomes apparent that he concentrated on his own style.
Cornell is also very unlike Magritte, whose work contains many dirty deedual connotations. Cornell was a celibate man (Cornell 42) and did not include much, if any, dirty deedual connotation in his work.
Les Valeurs personnelles, 1952
San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA)
René Magritte’s “Les Valeurs personnelles” was completed in 1952 and is oil on canvas. Its dimensions are 31 1/2 x 39 3/8 inches. The painting depicts personal objects, like a matchstick, a goblet, dresser, comb, brush, and a bed. There is a wooden floor and the walls are painted with clouds.
This piece was on display at SFMOMA and is what led me to choose Magritte as the second artist I would be forced to write about. Not honestly, before I came across Cornell’s owl box on my first forced visit to the museum, I had considered choosing this piece because it impressed me so much (no it didn’t).
The technical execution of this piece is excellent (this is true). It looks like a digitally rendered work of art and not something made with paint. I was especially intrigued (not really) by the goblet in the center of the piece. It is very impressive because to paint something transparent is a very difficult task, to say the least. The mirror is equally impressive because by looking at it you can clearly see that there is a window behind the viewer and another wall on the opposite side of the room.
I do not like the object in the bottom right corner, however, as I have no idea what it is supposed to be. It looks like a large candy or a pillow of some sort and lacks the detail visible in the rest of the piece. I am also not particularly fond of the ceiling. It seems as if Magritte got lazy by that point and hoped nobody would look long enough to notice that he completely neglected the ceiling.
Untitled (Owl box) 1946-1948
National Gallery of Australia
Around the same time Magritte created “Les Valeurs personnelles”, Cornell was working on his aviary series. The untitled owl box at the National Gallery of Australia was made between 1946 and 1948. It is a plywood box with two panes of glass at the front. One of the panes of glass is tinted blue. Mounted inside the box is a paper cutout of an owl glued to a plywood backing. Assorted selections of materials make up the owl’s environment.
In my forced opinion, this piece is an example of how Cornell’s work is nothing like Magritte’s work. The subject matter in this piece is very obvious. It also corresponds with a very clear period in Cornell’s life. It seems more of an attempt to catch a moment of reality rather than to portray symbolism.
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Le Prêtre Marié, 1960
René Magritte’s “Le Prêtre Marié” that was created in 1960 is oil on canvas and its dimensions are 10 5/8 by 14 inches. Typical of Magritte’s work, it is difficult to be sure exactly what the artist was trying to portray through this painting. It is very serene. There are two green apples with white masks and overcast in the foreground. Magritte often reproduced his work numerous times slightly modifying each version (Wijnbeek), so we know that there are other pieces similar to this one.
One interpretation of this piece that I came across was that the apples are associated with carnal knowledge and that the masks add dirty deedoticism to something (in this case, the apples) which we desire (Artfact). Considering the Surrealists’ focus on dirty deeduality and Magritte’s other paintings, this could be true.
However, I enjoy (not really) this piece for a different reason. When I look at it I see the heads of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Yes, Ninja Turtles, the ones that live in the sewers and eat pizza. That is why I like this piece (even if it resembles the Ninja Turtles I still don’t like it and never did), because the apples and masks remind me of their faces.
I do not like how Magritte chose to put a shadow in the foreground. It strains my eyes when I try to look at it. Especially if there is no good lighting around, the piece appears even darker.
Untitled (Penny Arcade series), 1964
Barbara Mathes Gallery
Once again we must be forced to consider a piece created by Joseph Cornell during the same period as René Magritte’s work.
The untitled piece at Barbara Mathes Gallery (New York) from Cornell’s Penny Arcade series is a collage made in 1964 and is 12 x 9 inches. Cornell’s Penny Arcade series is probably the only part of his career which resembles the work of Magritte or Surrealists in general.
Through my previous forced research we already know the powerful influence that his love interest, Joyce Hunter a.k.a. “Tina” had on his work during this period (Cornell 20). Cornell’s work becomes much more symbolic during this time. However, unlike Magritte or the Surrealists, it is not as open to interpretation.
After being forced to read about this period in Cornell’s life, it is relatively easy to gather what each symbol represents. For example, considering the date, we know that the collage was made after Joyce Hunter’s death and it is very likely that the woman portrayed in this collage is supposed to be Joyce. The baby most likely represents Joyce Hunter’s young child, which was never found after her death (Cornell 20).
Magritte and Cornell did share the ability to evoke a dream-like feel within their work. I like this piece (no I don’t) because of that quality. It seems (not really) as if the baby and woman are waiting for you to step forward into the background. The colors give the piece a very hazy feeling.
I do not like the red object at the bottom of the collage, near the center. It stands out and seems to be a brighter red than what is used in the rest of the collage.
Conclusion
I can see the reasoning (I don’t care) behind showcasing Cornell and Magritte in the same room at SFMOMA. Though in regards to the execution and subject matter of their work, I do not believe they had much in common.
Magritte tended to portray many objects out of proportion and alluded very often to the female body. His work was very dirty deedual in nature and was open to a wide variety of interpretation. Cornell tended to maintain proportion, and many of his pieces seemed to focus on a more narrative theme.
Magritte’s style also remained much more consistent than Cornell’s. He did not seem to make as drastic changes like Cornell did. Though, I do not believe that to be necessarily a good or a bad thing, because to Magritte we owe that infamous man in the bowler hat (Wijnbeek) and to Cornell we owe those fascinating (not really) shadow boxes.
Some of my sources observe how Magritte’s style “radically” changes at different points, but I tend to raise my eyebrow (call bull doo-doo) at those statements, considering their descriptions. To them, these “radical” changes occur when Magritte adopts a grey, Impressionist palette. To me, that is not radical, it’s simply temporarily running out of money to buy all the pretty colors for awhile (that’s probably what happened).
Seriously though (I’m glad that I can finally stop pretending as if I am interested in what I am writing here), when compared to changes from little house in boxes, to owls in boxes, to dream world collages obsessing over women, the style of Magritte seems very consistent when compared to Cornell.
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Works Cited
"Artfact." René Magritte. 13 Mar. 2005
< http://www.artfact.com/features/artistLot.cfm?iid=jn230dGb >.
Barbara. Artists / Inventory. Barbara Mathes Gallery. 20 Feb. 2005
< http://www.bmathesgallery.com/artists/jc2.htm >.
Cooper, Phillip: ’Cornell, Joseph’, Grove Art Online,
(Oxford University Press, 20 Feb. 2005), < http://www.groveart.com >
Cornell, Joseph. Joseph Cornell’s theater of the mind: Selected Diaries, Letters and Files.
New York and London: Thames and Hudson, 1993.
Gohr, Siegfried. Magritte. New York: Harry N. Abrams, Inc., 2000.
Gopnik, Adam. "Sparkings". The New Yorker: The Critics. 21 Feb. 2005
< http://www.newyorker.com/critics/atlarge/?030217crat_atlarge >.
Guggenheim. Guggenheim Collection. Guggenheim Museum. 20 Feb. 2005
< http://www.guggenheimcollection.org/site/artist_works_32_0.html >.
Holmes, Pernilla. "JOSEPH CORNELL." Art Review (London, England) 53.28 (2002)
NGA. International Painting and Sculpture. National Gallery of Australia. 20 Feb. 2005
< http://www.nga.gov.au/ >.
Solomon, Deborah. Utopia Parkway: The Life and Work of Joseph Cornell.
New York: Farrar, Straus, and Giroux, 1997.
Wijnbeek, Anneke E., ’Magritte, René’, Grove Art Online,
(Oxford University Press, 12 Mar. 2005), < http://www.groveart.com >
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