René Magritte, La corde sensible (Heartstring)

Artist: René Magritte (1898 - 1967)
Title:La corde sensible (Heartstring)
Medium:Color Lithograph
Image Size:19 in x 14 3/4 in (48.3 cm x 37.5 cm)
Sheet Size:23 3/5 in x 15 7/10 in (60 cm x 40 cm)
Framed Size:33 3/10 in x 29 3/5 in (84.6 cm x 75.6 cm)
Edition:Numbered from the edition of 275 in pencil in the lower left margin.
Signature:This work is signed ‘Magritte’ in fascimile in graphite color in the lower right margin, and signed in pencil in the lower left margin by the representative of ADAGP representing the Magritte Succession, Mr. Charly Hersovici.
Condition:This work is in excellent condition.
ID #w-3973

Historical Description

René Magritte La corde sensible (Heartstring); A simple champagne glass sits in a serene and wonderfully lush river plain with mountains in the distance. A white cloud should be floating in the sky and should appear bigger than the glass in reality, but in this portrait, the cloud seems to be resting on top of the glass, slowly filling the inside. This presents quite the visual conundrum that Magritte loved to express in his art. By completely disregarding what an item should be in its identity, he challenged the viewer to ask questions about the reality of what they saw, and how they truly relate and identify with them, changing their perspectives and assumptions.

This makes sense given the process that Magritte used in his works, of which he stated, "I cannot paint before I have the whole picture in my head. It happens slowly… I want to paint a cloud. So I draw some clouds, maybe a hundred of them. And each time I surround them with shapes whose meaning remains hidden from me until such time as inspiration visits anew and I know what fits beneath the cloud is a champagne glass" (Meuris, p.156, 1994).

Created after the original 1960 oil painting La corde sensible (Heartstring), this color lithograph was published and printed by Philippe Moreno, Paris in 2003. This work is signed ‘Magritte’ in fascimile in graphite color in the lower right margin, and signed in pencil in the lower left margin by the representative of ADAGP representing the Magritte Succession, Mr. Charly Hersovici. Numbered from the edition of 275 in pencil in the lower left margin.

Catalogue Raisonné & COA:
This René Magritte La corde sensible (Heartstring) lithograph is fully documented and referenced in the below catalogue raisonnés and texts (copies will be enclosed as added documentation with the invoices that will accompany the final sale of the work).

1. Meuris, Jacques. Magritte. London: Greenwich Editions, 1988. Original 1952 oil on canvas illustrated on pg. 157 and discussed on pg. 156.
2. A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany this work.

About the Framing:
Framed to museum-grade conservation standards, René Magritte La corde sensible (Heartstring) is presented in a modern moulding with silk-wrapped mats and optical-grade Plexiglas.

Subject Matter: Contemporary