Rene Magritte And Victor Brauner - 884 Words

The two artworks I have chosen to discuss in this paper are 3-D sculptures of two renowned artists. These surrealists of two amazing sculptures are Rene Magritte and Victor Brauner. Both of their artworks are located at The Menil Collection, Houston TX. These in the round sculptures are entitled Megalomania (La folie des grandeurs) and Sign (Signe). First, Rene Magritte’s medium on his Megalomania masterpiece is bronze. It was sculpted in 1967, and the size of this artwork is 61 x 48 x 32 3/8 inches (Menil). Similarly, Victor Brauner’s medium on his Sign artwork is gilded bronze. The artwork was beautifully crafted as well in 1945 and casted in 1961. The size of this artwork is 12 1/2 x 5 1/4 x 8 1/4 inches (Menil). As I go on, I will†¦show more content†¦Moreover, the shapes of both sculptures are organic and 3D with substantial mass. Furthermore, the Megalomania shows an asymmetrical balance, while the Sign shows a symmetrical balance. Moving to the cultural context of both artworks, both artists influences are tied back to their roots. Thus, Rene Magritte who was born in Belgium (Encyclopedia Britannica) has great influences of his mother. The sculpture of Megalomania is tied to his mother’s influence, for it is representing a woman’s body. Some of his artworks subjects are women. On the other hand, Victor Brauner was born in Romania. Brauner was active in an avant-garde movement in Romania which deeply influences his artwork such as the Sign (Wikiart). The era or the time of creation of these artworks are not far distant from each other. The Megalomania was created in 1967, and the Sign was created in 1945. During those years, surrealism was then practiced by many artists. This movement was introduced in the 20th century, specifically in the early 1920s (surrealism.org). Based on my direct observation, both sculptures exemplify the era of surrealism. Thus, Magritte and Brauner at that time had to explore this form of art as well. Meanwhile, these two in the round sculptures have similarities and differences. The similarities of the two sculptures are the following: both medium are bronze, both artistic styles are surreal, both have smooth textures, both shapes show 3D aspects, and both artists