The artwork, titled “Sixteenth of September,” created by Rene Magritte in 1956 in Brussels, Belgium, is a notable piece in the Surrealism movement. Measuring 60 by 50 cm, this landscape genre painting encapsulates Magritte’s signature style of merging the ordinary with the extraordinary to stimulate contemplation.
In this scene, a solitary tree dominates the composition under a tranquil, dusky sky. This tree, with its dense foliage, ingeniously frames a crescent moon that appears paradoxically within the tree’s branches instead of in the sky, creating a surreal and dreamlike effect. The landscape in the background is subtly rendered, allowing the focus to remain on the curious juxtaposition within the tree. The overall mood of the artwork is quiet and contemplative, inviting viewers to ponder the interplay between reality and illusion, a hallmark of Magritte’s surrealistic vision.
