Art Story

This study shows Magritte in a phase where he was testing ideas and exploring motifs that would later appear in his paintings. The horse, a classical symbol, takes on an almost conceptual dimension in his hands: not as a heroic creature, but as part of a thought process. The work recently received special attention in the international exhibition "Magritte. A Lab of Ideas" at the Nordiska Akvarellmuseet (Skärhamn, Sweden, 2022). This exhibition focused on Magritte's works on paper - sketches, collages, notes - where he shaped his visual experiments. The drawing is also featured in the accompanying catalogue, Magritte. A Lab of Ideas - Works on Paper (Ludion, 2022), edited by Julie Waseige and Xavier Canonne. The book reveals how Magritte used paper as a true laboratory of ideas, a space where he could freely play with forms and meanings before committing them to canvas.