Routinely, people choose not to let others see their true identity, because they are swallowed up by the fear that they will be judged for their imperfections. According to Revolvy.com, masking is “a process in which an individual changes or “masks” their natural personality to conform to social pressures, abuse, and/or harassment.” Rene Magritte thoughtfully depicts a man doing this, literally and figuratively, in one of his paintings. Magritte’s Surreal or Real shows a man terrified of public’s harsh judgments, feeling the need to mask his face and personality, only feeling secure inside his home.
The man in the painting fears what people think of him. He is pictured still, so still viewers can imagine him standing frozen in time, long enough for Magritte to paint him without a budge. He stands still because he wants to delay going outside, and minimize his exposure to others, giving them less time to make assumptions about him. All the man’s belongings pictured, his suit, his umbrella, and his top hat, are all black or white, the simplest of colors. If he wanted everyone’s attention he would wear warm colors: shades of red, orange, or yellow. If he wanted to just barely stand out he would choose cool colors: shades of blue, green, and purple. The man choosing black signals that he did not want anyone to see him that day, because the more he is seen the more opportunity people have to analyze him. The man’s features are very generic. He is not overly fit or out of shape, and he is not strikingly tan or white. He does not wear makeup or have an out-of-the-box haircut or hair color. This shows he wants to look just as much like everybody else as he can, and not catch anyone's eye. He fears how people will see him, which is why it is difficult for him to choose which mask to finish his outfit with. The painting shows a man reaching for one of two masks …show more content…
Masks are a part of everybody’s daily accessories. Just as people choose their clothing and what they want others to see them wearing that day, they choose a mask; how they want their peers and coworkers to view their mood, interests, and attitudes that day. The man in the picture is an average man wearing normal business clothes and does not have any defining features that would lead a viewer to think he is a particular or well-known figure. The man’s suit has no logos or symbols to give an idea of who he is, he lacks tattoos or an abnormal haircut, and has a generic face rather than an easily recognizable one. This confirms him as part of the general population, an everyday man who feels the need to mask his personality. The masks hanging on the coat rack are normal human faces, not clown, costume, or theatre masks. This shows that the masks are not particular to his career or made for a special occasion, but daily acessories used to camouflage himself. The masks are mixed in with other normal accessories; an umbrella and hat. If they were hanging with wigs and boa scarves instead, it would lead one to assume that they are special embellishments rather than everyday accessories. Everybody wears masks to make themselves appear different than they naturally do, but the people they mask themselves from are public, not
The man in the painting fears what people think of him. He is pictured still, so still viewers can imagine him standing frozen in time, long enough for Magritte to paint him without a budge. He stands still because he wants to delay going outside, and minimize his exposure to others, giving them less time to make assumptions about him. All the man’s belongings pictured, his suit, his umbrella, and his top hat, are all black or white, the simplest of colors. If he wanted everyone’s attention he would wear warm colors: shades of red, orange, or yellow. If he wanted to just barely stand out he would choose cool colors: shades of blue, green, and purple. The man choosing black signals that he did not want anyone to see him that day, because the more he is seen the more opportunity people have to analyze him. The man’s features are very generic. He is not overly fit or out of shape, and he is not strikingly tan or white. He does not wear makeup or have an out-of-the-box haircut or hair color. This shows he wants to look just as much like everybody else as he can, and not catch anyone's eye. He fears how people will see him, which is why it is difficult for him to choose which mask to finish his outfit with. The painting shows a man reaching for one of two masks …show more content…
Masks are a part of everybody’s daily accessories. Just as people choose their clothing and what they want others to see them wearing that day, they choose a mask; how they want their peers and coworkers to view their mood, interests, and attitudes that day. The man in the picture is an average man wearing normal business clothes and does not have any defining features that would lead a viewer to think he is a particular or well-known figure. The man’s suit has no logos or symbols to give an idea of who he is, he lacks tattoos or an abnormal haircut, and has a generic face rather than an easily recognizable one. This confirms him as part of the general population, an everyday man who feels the need to mask his personality. The masks hanging on the coat rack are normal human faces, not clown, costume, or theatre masks. This shows that the masks are not particular to his career or made for a special occasion, but daily acessories used to camouflage himself. The masks are mixed in with other normal accessories; an umbrella and hat. If they were hanging with wigs and boa scarves instead, it would lead one to assume that they are special embellishments rather than everyday accessories. Everybody wears masks to make themselves appear different than they naturally do, but the people they mask themselves from are public, not