
Rene Magritte created an inspirational piece of art where he questioned whether a pipe was actually a pipe; however, in another artwork “The Son of Man”, the point of the piece is not whether the man is truly a man, so people – do not get distracted with this idea. The question in this case is what the painting truly means because it may just seem like a simple portrait of a man. Truly, the simple man with an object in front of his face shows there is more there than meets the eye (or face for that matter). Rene Magritte in “The Son of Man” uses color and positioning to emphasize the important focal points of the piece in order to show that everyone has a weakness or temptation.

“The Son of Man” first uses colors to emphasize the theme of temptation. Rene Magritte was able to successfully do this because the color scheme of most of the piece is very neutral – seeing that most of the other colors are dull thus not attracting the human eye. However, vibrant colors such as green and red in the painting pose more contrast against the surrounding colors. As a result, at first glance the red and green colors grab your attention the quickest. The colors not only grab your attention, but each color also has meaning. In further depth, the green object appears to be a fruit in front of the man’s face (Magritte). The object has the appearance of leaves jutting out the top of the object like a fruit growing off of a tree. One can wonder why it is a fruit being depicted, but this fruit has a specific reference in history. In the Bible, the story of Adam and Eve near the beginning of Genesis references a forbidden fruit by which God commands Adam and Eve not to eat. The forbidden fruit is a source of temptation for Adam and Eve because they were told not to eat it but could easily attain it. As much as the fruit elicits temptation in the Bible, it also represents temptation as much as it does in the painting. In further depth, Magritte’s usage of the fruit in this case is its color and how it symbolizes money. Considering that the man is dressed in business attire, businessmen have a lust for money. Usually businessmen, by nature, tend to focus their attention on attaining wealth because of opportunity that money rewards them. Apart from the money, the businessman also wears a vibrant red tie. This color red symbolizes the man’s passionate feelings regarding what he does as a profession (being a businessman) and for the fruit which resembles money in front of his face (Magritte). The relationship then between the red and green color work to emphasize the object of temptation in front of the man in the painting. However, the colorful objects of focus present the theme of temptation.

Another important technique in “The Son of Man” is Magritte’s use of positioning. To clarify, people can show signs of being anxious. Observers take notice through signs when people with possible anxiety interact with them or by looking at them. Some of these signs include excessive sweat, odd facial expressions, or doing anything that may seem out of the ordinary regarding their usual behavior. As mentioned before, the object resembles temptation, but how it directly relates to the man is first based on his positioning of his limbs. It may not seem very noticeable, but the position of his left (the viewer’s right) arm positioned slightly behind his waist. It is noted this way by comparison to the left arm from his right because his right arm is in a relaxed position comfortably at his side. The position of his arm suggests that he is resisting the urge to grab the fruit in front of his face. Along with his arm, his right hand also appears in an unrelaxed state compared to an open-palm hand relaxed at his side. Looking at the right hand, the man does not appear relaxed and is unclear about his decision whether to reach out to the fruit. Both the position of the man’s left arm slightly behind his waist and his right hand being in a “half-fist” position suggest that the man is anxious (Magritte). The anxiety displayed through his extremities shows the inter-conflict he is facing and how the feeling of temptation towards the fruit in his vision is playing a part on his well-being. Another form of positioning is also important in regards to the fruit this time, and that is its location. It is quickly noticed that the man’s facial features are obscure because of the fruit blocking them. The fruit could be anywhere else in the painting, but the fruit has significance being in front of the man’s face (Magritte). Significance being that since the viewer does not know who the man is; no person could possibly know who this person is. This effect of obscurity causes the viewer to think that it could even be them. The idea of the painting is the temptation that the man feels could be the same temptation that anyone else feels. It is the positioning of the fruit that causes the viewer to feel tempted by the fruit too. It therefore provides evidence that everyone has a weakness or temptation.

Rene Magritte in “The Son of Man” uses color and positioning to emphasize the important focal points of the piece in order to show that everyone has a weakness or temptation. Colors and positioning are important throughout other relatable paintings, and it’s Magritte’s use of these colors that help emphasize the meaning. Weaknesses and temptations can cloud one’s judgement, and many people in this modern society can relate to this theme of temptation. One’s temptation or weakness is a huge part of his/her everyday lifestyle because humans naturally seek perfection in their own minds. Nowadays, through media, people see others more often and compare their own image to each other because of the perfect image they have in mind for themselves. Young or old, rich or poor, or anyone to and fro, people cannot escape their flaws. However, one must work with their flaw and accept it, whatever it may be. Working to achieve this task can help one prosper because, as a history teacher could say, once the conflict is over at home, one can look outwards with confidence and influence his/her surroundings. Success is possible with this idea at heart because one needs to be confident knowing that their weaknesses will not tempt them to fail.
