Les Merveilles de la nature (The Wonders of Nature), 1953 Oil on canvas 30 1/2 x 38 5/8 (77.5 x 98.1 cm) Gift of Joseph and Jory Shapiro 1982.48 ©2002 C. Herscovici, Brussels/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York

Objectives
Create a surreal composition or fantasy landscape.

Explore the ideas of dreams and the subconscious through collage.

Learn about foreground and background.

Vocabulary
background the distant part of a scene

collage an art form in which fragments of paper, fabric, or objects are pasted on a surface

foreground the part of the scene nearest the viewer

subconscious the part of our thoughts we cannot entirely control

surreal bizarre, fantastic

Materials
•3 ∞ 5 in. cards
•magazines
•scissors
•glue
 

Motivation
Present reproduction of René Magritte’s Wonders of Nature. Facilitate discussion about what makes the image unusual or surreal.

Discussion questions
What do you see?

What’s going on?

What unusual things has Magritte put together? (reversed “merpeople,” ground, rock, and figures all of the same materials, boat made of “waves”)

What is the effect?

What is in the foreground and what is in the background? How can you tell?
 

Activity
1 Give each student a piece of paper, magazines, scissors, and glue.

2 Ask students to create their own surreal scene for an imaginary voyage on a “postcard”

3 Students should search magazines for different types of backgrounds to cover the piece of paper.

4 Students will practice cutting out images following the contours of the shapes as closely as possible.

5 After choosing the background, students should select two to three “foreground” images of varying sizes to put in the collage.

6 Students should arrange all the foreground figures on the background to determine composition before gluing down. Objects may overlap.

7 Students may also design a stamp for their postcard and write a note to someone about their “surreal voyage.”

Tips for teachers
Include readings on Sigmund Freud and the subconscious.

Ask students to keep dream journals.

New connections
This lesson focuses on the theme art for art’s sake. To further explore this thematic unit, see the cross-reference table.

This project fulfills the following Illinois State Goals:
Fine arts
25A, 25B, 26B


Related sources
Books
Freud, Sigmund. The Interpretation of Dreams. New York: Avon Books, 1965.

Gablik, S. Magritte. New York: Thames and Hudson, 1985.

Magritte, René. Magritte. New York: Cameo/Abrams, 1996.

René Magritte: Catalogue Raisonné. London: Philip Wilson, 1994.

Rubin, William S. Dada, Surrealism, and Their Heritage. New York: The Museum of Modern Art, 1968.

Whitfield, Sarah. Magritte: The Haywood Gallery. London: South Bank Centre, 1992. P. 26.

Video
Monsieur René Magritte. RM Arts, 50 min.