Many have taken this iconic painting by the Belgian surrealist to be a commentary on the treacherous nature of the image — it makes you believe one thing, while hiding the reality of the image beneath.
The caption, “Ceci n’est pas une pipe” or “This is not a pipe” is factually accurate — it is, in fact, a painting of a pipe. Magritte himself once said, “of course it’s not a pipe you cretin, just try to fill it with pipe-weed.” (Magritte was an immense fan of the Tolkien oeuvre, which he read in its entirety, about a decade before it was written.)
Of course, Magritte was lying.
In his home dimension, it was quite possible to fill a painting of a pipe with “smokables” and enjoy a good puff while watching the Nether Beast destroy ancient civilizations, the concept of solitude, and a slice of cheesecake slathered in raspberry confit.
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