360 Degrees: "The Son of Man"

This painting, "The Son of Man" was painted by Rene Magritte in 1964. At first glance, many would think this painting is purely simplistic- one of those "random" paintings that has unexplainable qualities. Just a painting you look at and then forget about.

But if you take a look at this long enough, there is actually plenty to be examined and thought about. Yes, many of these aspects will most likely be left unanswered, but I definitely would say that this painting should not be overlooked!

Magritte used a very interesting technique behind this, I think. She uses simple concepts and presents them somewhat clearly in the painting itself. Not every aspect will pop out at you, but if you look close enough, they're right there in front of you. The peculiar thing though, is that these concepts don't have a specific meaning or purpose. Many of these aspects will make you think "Why is this here? What is the significance?" That is why I love this painting. It's composed of little details that really make the painting the way it is. It looks simple, but once you examine it, every little aspect of the painting gives it's own, unique insight on the poem.

Right off the bat, I notice several things. Most clearly placed is the apple in the middle of this man's face. This is quite bizarre. Why is that apple there? Why is the apple green [not red]? Is it floating there? Or is the man biting on it? Why is the man's eye peeking out? Why is he staring blankly? Does he not see the apple?

Also, I notice that this man is standing very rigidly. His hands are right at his sides, his hat is perfectly centered, and his tie is centered and tightly tied. But if you look closely at his jacket [unfortunately it is almost impossible to see on this photograph I posted], you will see that only two of his suit jacket buttons have been buttoned. One button is unbuttoned. If he is so rigid and proper, why hasn't he buttoned all of the buttons?

Then, I took a look at the background. I would think that the background would be the most overlooked, since the man is really the most obvious subject. There is a lot to be seen in the background though. For example, we see that he is standing by an ocean. He is separated by a stone threshold. What kind of body of water is it? An ocean? A pond? And look at the sky. Is there a storm brewing? Do these things connect to how this man is feeling?

Those are just some questions/observations that come to mind when I look at this painting. What I love though, is that those are not the only ones. This painting, though seemingly simple, is actually jam-packed with twists, insights, and hidden details!