René Magritte's oil on canvas painting The Son of Man (1964) has become a very popular visual text in a short period of time. The symbolism and unusual and enigmatic create a holistic picture of the semantic code that every viewer tries to interpret. Although the canvas contains a fairly small number of different details, as contrasted with Bosch or Rubens' paintings, yet there is a deep consisting of several layers meaning in it. The painting contains a number of visual symbols, which have already become some kind of the archetypes of modern society. The Son of Man (see Fig. 1) was painted by the artist in order to make a good point about the certain social, moral and ethical issues. This canvas can confidently be called a challenge to society or a doom for a certain activity. The present analysis is aimed at the rhetorical analysis of one of the most famous René Magritte's paintings The Son of Man. This painting can be considered a famous visual text which purpose is to create a puzzle; this picture is essentially a mystery that makes the viewer look for thousands of different associations in order to explain its meaning.
In order to properly understand the nature and purpose of this image, it is necessary to divide it into parts, each of which will be considered in detail. But first, it is necessary to start with a general description of the image, which will help to examine it as if from afar. This general view of the picture can be called the Logos, and it will contain a logical, rational basis for the visual text. Thus, the analyzed image is the painting of the famous Belgian surrealist painter Rene Magritte. This picture has become very popular in a relatively short period of time since it was painted in 1964. The painting depicts an adult business man. He is dressed formally: black coat, white shirt, red tie and bowler hat on his head. The man stands near the waterfront. The viewer can see a stone curb, sea and sky behind him. A green apple, which almost completely covers the face of the man, is the only detail that falls from a rational context in this particular case. And it is not accident, as Magritte wrote that "any shape whatever may replace the image of an object," and "an object never performs the same function as its name or image" (Ross 70). However, a part of the face is visible, in particular, a half of the left eye with brow, cheeks, chin and ears. The following is to analyze each part of the image, as each part has its specific character to convey meaning.
In addition, the brevity and restraint are the characteristic features of the manner and method of expression of feelings of this particular piece of art. The obvious and simple details of the picture form a complex image and a deep sense of the concept. As already mentioned, the viewer can see stone curb, sea and sky in the background. These are the unique symbols, each of which has a specific purpose. Moreover, the image has the religious overtones, considering the pictured apple. This "biblical" fruit covers almost all the man's face. This element is the main argument in the formation of the main visual text. The viewer does not see the person and this instantly forms the various images in his or her mind. The artist created a partial picture of the appearance; he did not hide the face completely but left some parts in order to form a puzzle. Looking at this picture, one can see that the visible hides under something else. It should be noted that a person usually focuses on the face of his or her companion when dealing with any form of interaction. The face is the most important element of the human visual image. One look at the human face may help getting a huge amount of information even without communication. Any visual text that contains a picture of a human face instantly focuses the viewer's attention on the face in primarily, while the visual analysis of the other elements begins later. If one analyzes this image in terms of painting, art, it should be noted that it belongs to a controversial genre. René Magritte was a Surrealist, and this pattern is related to the genre of Surrealism. This implies the fact that the image combines techniques such as Paradox and allusion. Magritte wrote, "Everything tends to make one think that there is little connection between an object and that which represents it" (Ross 71).
The Son of Man combines the incongruous elements – i.e. reality and fiction. The absolutely real details, such as the man in the suit, the border, the sea, the sky, and even the apple create a paradoxical image, which the viewer perceives as something absurd. But as is known, the absurdity does make sense, because it is not nonsense. Absurdity is another important element of the visual text. Hence, it is possible to state that absurd is the driving force of this image. The presence of illogical sense in this picture makes a person look for an explanation. In this particular case, a person bases on his or her common sense, rationality and logic. This fact alone is able to determine the uniqueness of this visual text. The pathos of the image endows the audience with the high interest associated with the inconsistency. People are always interested in what goes beyond the bounds of the ordinary, something that has a hidden meaning.
If one considers the ethos of the image as a stable moral reasoning element, here it is necessary to lay emphasis on the temporary nature of the image. The painting was created 53 years ago and still has not lost its relevance. Such details of the image as the apple that remains in limbo in front of the man's face and the elbow of his left hand, which is turns out on 180 degrees, point to the irrational character of the artist. Nevertheless, using a combination of the irrational parts, the image conveys quite rational argument to its audience. This argument, as already mentioned, has the religious overtones. Speaking about the religious nature of the visual text, it is necessary to pay special attention to the colors. For instance, ancient and medieval artists used the combination of blue and red colors in the painting of the religious subjects. In addition, to the symbol of the tie has its own hidden meaning, which is visually similar to a snake crawling towards the apple. Tie is a business part of modern man, which closely entangles his neck. But the painting uses it as a clear allusion to the original sin. The image contains many elements and a number of different subjects that vary in their meaning and nature.
The figure of the man symbolizes a modern man who has his lost individuality, but also the man who is still Adam's son, who cannot resist the temptation. As for the basic characteristics and the type of image, it must be said here that the image does not imply dynamics. The image is completely static; the painting has its volume: i.e. the objects and the man look realistic and are not flat. The texture of the canvas is quite smooth, without protruding strokes. Essentially, the artist has created a rebus, which makes the audience think over a variety of meanings, which are encrypted in this composition. Their number depends solely on imagination and erudition of the beholder: the combination adjusts the viewer to search for clues, which cannot exist in reality. The Son of Man is a kind of a quintessence of the concept "magic realism". As mentioned earlier, quite ordinary at first glance things form something unreal in the end. The artist sees more than the ordinary person sees, he gets into the heart of things and reflects them. He is a magician, who anticipates the future, even with the use of such simple example as the apple and the man. But this example hides a metaphor for the true purpose of the artist, his role. He reveals the hidden potential of things; he anticipates events, creating a cultural context through the visual text.
Conclusion
The present analysis provides a better understanding of the semantic, stylistic and symbolic structure of René Magritte's painting The Son of Man. This work of art is ubiquitous in the various sources, as it is one of the most popular Magritte's paintings. The artist put into it many different symbols and allusions. Although the elements of the picture can be considered conventional, they still form a complex semantic field. This semantic field is of a paradoxical and even absurd nature. However, this technique has been used by the artist purposefully. With the creation of a paradoxical visual text, the artist forces the viewer to solve a riddle or a puzzle that has many different answers or interpretations.
Works Cited
Magritte, René. The Son of Man, 1964, oil on canvas painting. Private collection. René Magritte Website: http://www.renemagritte.org/the-son-of-man.jsp. Accessed 31 January 2017.
Ross, Leslie. Language in the Visual Arts: The Interplay of Text and Imagery. McFarland, 2014. ProQuest ebrary, site.ebrary.com.proxy.chamberlain.edu:8080/lib/chamberlain/reader.action?docID=10876209. Accessed 31 January 2017.
