Analyzing Rene Magritte's 'The Lovers'

Rene Magritte was a Belgian surrealist artist with a mission to keep mystery in his works. He lived an eventful life filled with many temporary homes. His father worked in manufacturing, which kept him and his two younger brothers clothed and fed. However, they were forced to follow the work and never had a permanent home. At the age of fourteen, Magritte witnessed his mother being fished out of a river after committing suicide. She had been wearing a white dress and it was completely covering her face, which will later influence his paintings.
The Lovers I is a painting depicting a man and a woman with white cloths covering their faces in a setting of trees and nature. The natural lighting is coming from the left of the painting adding a glow-like quality to the hoods. It is relatively muted with only very dark or very light greens and blues. It was made with oil on canvas in 1927, and the sequel, The Lovers II, was completed the following year. It features the same man and woman with the same cloths over their heads, but they are kissing
This is shown in The Lovers I because he never elaborated on why their faces are covered. It adds an unsettling feeling of gloom simply by hiding the faces of couple. It makes the viewer feel a sense of yearning to actually see the lovers. They could have been posing for anything, and that is what is so thought evoking about the artwork, and really draws people to it. People want to know what they are looking at, and Magritte took that privilege away to help one explore their own mind.
Rene Magritte had a life filled with struggle, and he took it and turned it into art, impressing fellow artists and lovers of art. The Lovers I and The Lovers II will be analyzed and admired for years to come, and their sense of mystery will continue to inspire artists to step outside of their comfort