Issued by: MoMA

Creative work

The Empire of Light, II (1950)

In mysterious and contradictory scenes, under the bright blue sky is a silent street scene shadowed by night. This strange scene of day and night makes ordinary things extraordinary, and it is precisely the power of Rainey Magritte's Empire of Light

Margaret once explained her surrealist work in this way: “I think the point is not to paint 'reality' as I and others can easily see it, but to depict the most ordinary reality, so that the current reality loses its ordinary or disturbing qualities, and then presents a mysterious side.”

In Empire of Light, a streetlight illuminates the suburban streetscape, while the upper floors of a street-facing house light up to make the picture brighter. In the foreground, these light sources are reflected in the rippling puddles, the first time Magritte has incorporated the elements of water into the scene. At the same time, a large tree stretches toward the blue sky and white clouds, and the dark outline cuts through the day.

Poster / Glossy Paper

René Magritte

November 21, 1898 - August 15, 1967) was a Belgian surrealist painter, and was known for his surrealist work with a somewhat harmonious and many thought-provoking symbolic language. His work challenged many observers to envision real-world situations in advance and influenced many of today's illustration styles.