The Large Family

The Large Family or as known by others as “La Grande Famille” is a beautiful piece of artwork that was created by the surrealist artist René Magritte. It was done in the year 1963.

It is a stunning one-panel oil canvas piece of art that was done in a surrealism style of art by René Magritte who was a member of the movement. Just with a single glance to this image, one would be quick to question the suitability of the title given the fact that there is no picture of a human, family or related thing in the painting. But to those who were used to this painter’s works, this did not come as a surprise. René Magritte had made a reputation with his style of creating confusion among his viewers and deriving great pleasures.

The Large Family has a fascinating background; one that shows a drab sky that could be getting ready for a storm. But another thing comes to mind again; the pink lights that are shown towards the horizon. The pink lights could also be a symbol for a storm that has just ended. This picture also evokes turbulent feelings especially with the rolling sea that is seen below and the ominous clouds above. If these two are connected to the title of the painting ‘ The Large Family,' they could have been used to symbolize the tribulations and trials that most families always go through together.

This amazing artwork by René Magritte also shows two great images; a frontal white bird and a gloomy surrounding. There is a huge contrast that is created by these two beautiful pictures. A white bird is used to symbolize peace in most instances, and it could have been used here for the same purpose. This bird in a window-like shape reveals just within its profile a blue sky that appears so calm with white clouds. These beautiful white fluffy clouds are shown to create a feeling of warmth just like the ones seen on a typical summer day.

The bird shown here in The Large Family might have probably used to represent the love and unity within a unit of the family. Magritte was very skillful in depicting discord and harmony to be able to portray the whole concept of a family in this wonderful piece of artwork. He evoked intense and relevant emotions through his custom symbolic surrealism to come up with this beautiful picture called The Large Family.