“Perpetual Motion,” created by Rene Magritte in 1935 in Brussels, Belgium, is an oil-on-canvas painting that measures 54 x 73 cm. This symbolic painting, belonging to the Surrealism art movement, is currently held in a private collection.
The artwork depicts an enigmatic and dreamlike scene characteristic of Surrealism. At the center of the composition stands a figure adorned in a leopard-print outfit, very much reminiscent of a circus strongman. Notably, the figure’s head has been replaced with a spherical weight. Another weight is balanced on the figure’s left shoulder, and a large bone is clutched in the right hand. In the background, a serene landscape unfolds with undulating hills and a clear sky, providing a stark contrast to the figure and the objects in the foreground. Near the figure, a barrel and two geometric shapes—a cube featuring a circular cutout and another with a triangular cutout—are reflected in a small pool of water as if defying logical placement, further enhancing the surrealistic essence of the scene. This juxtaposition of the ordinary with the extraordinary invites viewers to ponder the deeper symbolic meanings concealed within the artwork.
