Rene Magritte was a Belgian-born artist, who lived from 1898 to 1967. He was famous for painting works that presented ordinary objects, in unusual settings. He was a leading exponent of Surrealism, and his work is still popular today. "The Flash" is a still life work, using gouache and pencil. It was painted in 1959, during what is commonly known as his “Mature” period. As with many of his paintings, the title gives no indication of the subject of the work. The painting depicts two trees, in full blossom. In the background is a clear blue sky. The ground is a shade of yellow, covered with white flowers. This scene is viewed through an opening, shaped as a bouquet of flowers, contained in a vase. A green leaf lies beside the vase. This is painted as an actual leaf, not as part of the bouquet outline. On first viewing the eyes can be drawn to the trees, not noticing they are silhouetted in flowers. Alternatively, the viewer may first notice the flowers, before seeing the trees contained within the bouquet. However, once both images are discerned, it is difficult to see one without the other. “The Flash,” allows us to see inside, and outside, at the same time. The artist seems to be urging the viewer to embrace the beauty of nature around us, rather than displaying it, temporarily, inside. Perhaps, the one leaf that has fallen from the bouquet, tells us that the cut flowers are beginning to wither and die. While the trees, outside, continue to blossom and grow. This is one of a number of Magritte’s works which show a tree, or trees, viewed through a flower shaped outline. This image was very popular with the artist, and a recurring theme in his work. "Le Plagiat," is an early example of this, painted in 1940. The Land of Miracles," created in 1964, being the last of these paintings.
