La Reproduction Interdite (Not To Be Reproduced) by René Magritte

I selected this painting, 'La Reproduction Interdite' (Not To Be Reproduced) by René Magritte, a Belgian surrealist, as an inspiration for my 'Picture House' project. A 'picture house', according to the Collins English Dictionary is an old-fashioned name for a cinema.

It is a powerful image in my opinion, depicting a young teenage boy wearing a smart suit looking into a mirror which shows a reflection of himself that is facing the other way.

Although the face is not visible, the painting is believed to be commissioned by poet and patron Edward James and is considered a portrait of him. This painting was one of three produced by Magritte for the ballroom of James's London home. The other two were The Red Model and Time Transfixed.

Key features of the painting

Analysis of the figure

The focal point of this image is the unknown figure standing in front of the mirror, facing away towards the mirror, yet his reflection is facing away from him. To me this suggests a few key ideas/themes: self-image, shame at himself, disappointment perhaps, remorse or regret. I think that this painting, in my interpretation is a result of something that has happened in Magritte's life, following a traumatic event or something that would have happened in his life to cause him to change the way he thinks about himself.

The simple expression of emotion is something powerful, as well as the way he chose to depict it. It is an image which on the surface doesn't look like much, or like a simple mistake with the reflection, but when you look deeper into the way he is looking away from himself in the mirror, it turns out to be a very meaningful form of expression.

Analysis of the book

Nothing else other than a book is reflected on the mantel a French copy of American writer's Edgar Allan Poe's 'The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket' (written here as 'Les aventures d'Arthur Gordon Pym'). Poe was one of Magritte's favorite authors and he made other references to the author and his work. This novel is notably the only complete novel written by Poe himself. The author described it himself 'a very silly book'.

The narrative follows a young man, Arthur Gordon Pym, on his sea voyage on an escape from normal everyday life, and faces life-or-death sort of situations.

On Goodreads this book has mixed reviews with some critics commenting on the lack of a clear narrative, and rather generic and archetypal in some ways. Most critics seem to agree that this book is vastly different to his other works, as he has gained a reputation for being a master of tales of mystery, suspense and the macabre. They all seem to agree that this novella exhibits little to none of the type of works he was known for - and that this novel was 'excessively odd', rather out-there, digressing too much away from the work he was known for. A lot of people made the comment that it was fortunate he didn't write another novel in his lifetime.

In my personal opinion I think that every creative mind, whether they are a writer, painter, illustrator, sculptor, designer, musician, producer, filmmaker or any sort of artist tries to be hugely experimental with at least one of their works which often ends up having either huge success or just being labeled as a 'flop'. For Poe I think that him writing a novel like this one is essentially one of those works. Some people appreciate the outlandish feel of this novel whereas others see it as his worst example of work.

Reference list

Edgar Allan Poe and J Gerald Kennedy (2008). The narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket and related tales. [online] Oxford ; New York: Oxford University Press. Available at:

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/70925.The_Narrative_of_Arthur_Gordon_Pym_of_Nantucket_and_Related_Tales?from_search=true&from_srp=true&qid=Go9AwVcmac&rank=1 [Accessed 23 Sep. 2021].

The Museum of Modern Art. (n.d.). René Magritte. La Reproduction interdite (Not to Be Reproduced). Brussels, 1937 | MoMA. [online] Available at: https://www.moma.org/audio/playlist/180/2381 [Accessed 23 Sep. 2021].

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