The Empty Mask
| The Empty Mask | |
|---|---|
| Le Masque vide (French) | |
_1928.jpg){kind=spacer} | |
| Artist | René Magritte |
| Year | 1928 |
| Medium | Oil on canvas |
| Dimensions | 81.2 cm × 116.2 cm (32.0 in × 45+3⁄4 in) |
| Location | |
The Empty Mask (French: Le Masque vide) is an oil on canvas painting by Belgian surrealist painter René Magritte, from 1928. The painting was purchased in 1973 and is on display in the National Museum of Wales, in Cardiff.[1]
Magritte suggested in his essay Words and Images (1929) concerning this painting that each image represented "suggests that there are others behind it".[citation needed] The six images depicted in freestanding frame of irregular shape, are the sky, a lead curtain festooned with sleigh bells, a house façade, a sheet of paper cut-outs, a forest and a fire.
The title reflects the artists fascination with the subconscious.