This is a brand new set of colored squares with precious objects inside them by artist Susana Blasco. She’s made it a quest for herself to enlarge single moments of brilliance into squares of truth, if you will, by photographing (and sometimes manipulating) objects, putting them then onto a single color background – or putting them on a single color background and photographing them. Whichever comes first. This newest set goes by the name “Ceci n’est pas un hommage à Magritte,” which in English means, “This is not an homage to Magritte,” which is of course speaking about the famous artist René Magritte, who is of course famous for doing paintings of single subject matter such as a pipe (see: “The Tune and Also the Words, 1964″) which can also be seen below.

In the pipe painting you’ll see the words “Ceci n’est pas une pipe” which means “this is not a pipe.” This painting was replicated in 2007 by the fabulous modern artist Dave Kinsey in his screenprint poster “Not a Gun” (also pictured in the gallery below)

Not A Gun, 2007
18 x 24″ 2c screenprint
on acid-free archival paper
Signed & numbered
edition of 300

Of course “The Tune…” is also a different version of the more well known René Magritte, “The treachery of images (This is not a pipe),” 1929, which is a more stripped-down image of the pipe. Then there’s the 1966 painting by Margritte again, this one showing two pipes, one on a wall and one in a frame: “The Two Mysteries,” 1966. So many replications of replications (pictured in gallery below.)

Of course that was Margritte’s point, and thusly so too must it be at least part of the point Susana Blasco makes in titling her newest collection of images “Ceci n’est pas un hommage à Magritte.” Blasco explains each of these images in her own words here:

Each year the DPZ calls the “Awards and Grants for Arts and Culture.” The publication of this year to promote them is a homage to Magritte. So in each picture is mixed classic icons of the painter (the pipe, the clouds, hat ,…) with other elements to refer to each of the awards in different ways. Here in this order: cover (hat), sculpture and installations (clouds), visual creation (pipa), travelogues (egg), translation projects (apple), audiovisual (key), literature (umbrella) and expansion of art studies (siren).

We’ve also got images of the book Blasco constructed for DPZ plus this description:

Booklet

DPZ awards Young and creative people in several areas such as: arts, literature works, essay, travel stories, expansion of artistic studies, audiovisual works and plastic arts. The booklet of this year is a tribute to Magritte. For this reason, each illustration puts together Magritte’s classic icons (pipe, hat, the clouds,…) with other creativity & art elements.

DIPUTACION PROVINCIAL DE ZARAGOZA (London) 2010

Take a look at the Margrittes, the Kinsey, and the Blascos below, then head on over to Blasco’s portfolio or blog for more insight into her world or more super amazing pictures to dip your eyeballs in for pure pleasure.

This post is part of the World Famous Design Junkies celebration category.

BONUS here’s some additional insight into the “Gun” piece by Kinsey, courtesy of everyone’s favorite friendly neighborhood Admonkey:

What makes Kinsey’s riff so special is the incorporation of Virginia Tech-orange iconography so close on the heels of the Virginia Tech massacre (massacre on April 16, print released on May 4) and our politicians’ refusal to allow the idea of gun control to enter the debate in its immediate aftermath. (“To those who want to make this into some sort of [gun control] crusade, I say take this elsewhere.” –Virginia Governor Tim Kaine in comments shortly after the massacre.)

For that, Kinsey can certainly be forgiven for the co-opting of Rosenquist’s idea. In art, context is as big a player as idea and image.

For more magical Admonkey moments, head on over to thegiant.org