René Magritte, The Lovers (canvas)

Description

This work is the most famous version of the theme of lovers that often recurs in Magritte's painting. Faces covered by white sheets are also frequently present. According to many interpretations, the common thread of these works is to be found in the suicide of the painter's mother in 1912, when the artist was only 14 years old. In fact, the woman threw herself into the Sambre river with a nightgown wrapped around her head. The painting depicts two lovers kissing, their heads covered with a white cloth that prevents them from seeing each other and communicating, arousing a sense of unease and anguish. Referring to the dramatic bereavement he suffered at a young age, the kiss between the two lovers could represent death that hinders the course of a love story. The white drape represents the obstacle, the impossibility of communicating and looking at each other. We are faced with a mute love, unable to express itself with a language other than that of the body but which, despite this, expresses a strong passion.