Le Jockey Perdu III and Wild Horses.
7:00 AM |
| Rene Magritte, Le Jockey Perdu III, Unknown |
"I conceive of the art of painting as the science of juxtaposing colours in such a way that their actual appearance disappears and lets a poetic image emerge. . . . There are no 'subjects,' no 'themes' in my painting. It is a matter of imagining images whose poetry restores to what is known that which is absolutely unknown and unknowable." - Rene Magritte
Rene Magritte, influenced greatly by the works of Giorgio Chirico, sought to incorporate seemingly unrelated items into groups. The combination of items not only pleased the viewer, but challenged their perception and thought. Magritte’s Le Jockey Perdu III embodies the passion of his mentor: providing a subject an unrelated setting. Le Jockey Perdu III depicts a lone racer withdrawn from the track, where he should be, and placed in the desert.
While on the road, the Rolling Stones wanted nothing more at times than to just be where they needed to be, instead of constantly in flux. The lyrics, "wild horses couldn't drag me away" give the listener a sense of futility, as if no matter how hard they try to stay, they have to go. "Wild Horses" was written to cope with the stress of touring across the nation, to pay homage to what was thought to be an easily grasped theme. Instead, the song remained a mystery. The fluidity and movement within the lyric and rhythm give so much freedom to the listener, both in how they listen to the song and how they interpret it.
The element of movement is masked within Magritte’s work, the viewer taking a stagnant position from within a rocky outcrop observing a misplaced racer. As I viewed this piece I could not help but compare it to a Rothko. Mark Rothko exercised a visual tension in his artwork, a constant imbalance and movement. Le Jockey Perdu III for me is very much the same, the viewer forced to grapple with the speed and ferocity of the horse slicing through the environment - leaving dust in his wake. This piece is not merely pleasurable to view, but also to contemplate. The contrast and tension in this piece makes it seem almost simple, something it is proves not to be at all.
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