The Son of Man

René Magritte's masterpiece named The Son of Man is one of the most renowned surrealist paintings ever produced. Magritte created the work in 1946 as a self-portrait, depicting a guy wearing a suit and bowler hat with an awkwardly placed green apple in front of his face.

The man is depicted standing in front of a wall with the water in the background. His eyes are barely visible over the edge of the apple, revealing a melancholy face. Magritte remarked on the piece, stating that the essential idea is that it is human nature to want to see what is hidden: "Everything we see hides something else; we always want to see what is hidden by what we see," Magritte observed. "There is a fascination with what is hidden and what the appearance does not reveal." This attention might manifest as a strong emotion, a sort of tension between the visible that is hidden and the visible that is there."

It is perhaps one of the most well-known surrealist artworks in history, as it encourages the viewer to focus on the man's obscured face.

Many art analysts and aficionados believe that the apple is intended to provoke dissatisfaction in the viewer, forcing them to be content with the image as it is given because there is no other way to see the man's true face.

Date created: 1964
Dimensions: 116 × 89 centimeters (45.67 × 35 inches)
Location: Private collection