Rene Magritte

The Empire of Lights,1954

A nocturnal scene under a daytime sky.
It is only at second glance that one becomes aware of the surreal nature of this apparently so true-to-life scene.
Magritte interpreted it as follows:
"I have reproduced different concepts in The Empire of Lights, namely a nocturnal landscape and a sky as we see it during the daytime.
The landscape leads us to think of night, the sky of day. In my opinion, this simultaneity of day and night has the power to surprise and to charm.
This power I call poetry."