The painting “The Big Family” (La Grande Famille) was created by René Magritte in 1963. At first glance, the immediate question that may arise is the inconsistency of the title with the content, since there is no image of a family, a person or anything similar in it. However, this should not surprise us, since Magritte is known for the great pleasure he felt when he managed to confuse the viewer.
The backdrop of “The Big Family” depicts a gloomy sky, on the verge of a storm – or is it perhaps the end of it? The pink light on the horizon leaves this interpretation open. The ominous clouds, together with the choppy sea below, evoke feelings of turmoil, perhaps symbolizing the trials or hardships that families go through together.
On the other hand, we have an important contrast between the surrounding gloom and the white bird in front – a common symbol of peace. This bird, like a window, shows within its silhouette a calm, blue sky with puffy white clouds, which give us a feeling of warmth, much like what we experience on a beautiful summer day. The bird can represent the unity and love within a family. By simultaneously presenting harmony and tensions, Magritte has masterfully portrayed the concept of family in this painting, evoking deep emotions through symbolic surrealism.
"To be a surrealist means to banish from the mind all memories of what has been seen and to always seek what has never been seen." — René Magritte
Article source:
https://www.renemagritte.org/the-large-family.jsp
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https://www.renemagritte.org/the-large-family.jsp
