Interpretations of 'La Reproduction Interdite'

As part of my 'Picture House' project, I created my own inspired artwork based around the painting 'La Reproduction Interdite' by René Magritte (which sounds rather rebellious in my opinion). I created two separate versions, a digital version using Adobe Photoshop as well as a hand-drawn version of the painting.

In each of these interpretations I kept the artwork true to the original the key elements, such as the ornate mirror, the novel reflected in it, and the thought-provoking mirror reflection of the human figure but with my own ideas. I did this to experiment with the mood and overall meaning behind the original painting, as well as what it meant to me.

Above is the original version of 'La Reproduction Interdite' in comparison to my own version of the painting, instead drawn in pen. There a couple of key differences in my own version compared to the original. My take on the original painting was hugely inspired by a self-image and emotional perspective.

In my own version you can see the surface of the mirror entirely through the figure in the drawing, a personal artistic choice I made to signify vulnerability and a sense of missing identity. Sometimes when people feel low/depressed one almost feels like they don't matter, or they wish they weren't there; which is what I was trying to express through this image. The figure seems almost invisible in front of the mirror which can also represent a feeling of loss of self, combined with the mirror reflection of the figure looking away from himself.

Another change I made was of the book; I simply drew an eye on the cover - symbolising traits such as awareness, confidence, and a fresh outlook on life. In the mirror this eye is shut, symbolising the absence of these positive traits. I felt that this book in my drawing had a clearer and more straightforward meaning than a copy of a novel in the artwork.

The final difference is the quote in the top right corner which reads 'misery loves you, but I don't.' It is rather ambiguous in its meaning and is not a quote I specifically found in any texts, novels, films, or works of art. Interestingly it formed in my mind when I was listening to a well known song ('Dance, Dance' by Fall Out Boy - a fast paced, emo rock song) - specifically the lyric 'misery loves me,' nearer towards the end of the song. My quote is like a response to this lyric, as it made me think about a girl that I used to love a lot, but I could no longer love her and stay with her because of her mental state. It's rather callous coming from me, however the absence of emotion was a key theme in our relationship, if you will. She was traumatised and I tried to be there for her and help her wherever I could; simply because I loved her, but she never was capable of opening up to me, no matter how hard I tried to get her to. She told me she 'didn't want me to see her in that way'. I never got annoyed at her because I know that this was an effect of trauma, but I wish she had eventually. I know that I would have stuck with her all my life if she had. But 'misery loves you, but I don't...' anymore, at least.

I believe this story ties in strongly with my overall interpretation of the painting.

Here my digital representation of the painting, with me featured as the subject. It looks rather impossible to recreate without Photoshop, which is what I used in this image. Essentially I used one image as the background image, and used a second image of the back of my head as a mask to put over the background. I omitted certain elements such as the book and the identical hair, however I think that this image is expressive in a different sort of way, as there is someone outside of the picture holding up a 'mirror' (an empty frame) to view a version of me that is still facing away. It has many negative connotations and themes similar to Magritte's original painting.

Below are examples of the images we took to create this digital interpretation. We also experimented using different people in the shot as well as the 3D perspective of the frame. These pictures don't necessarily mimic the original painting but I thought that these images were their own inspired works of art.