The Listening Room
Encyclopedia
The Listening Room is an oil on canvas
painting by the Belgian
surrealist René Magritte
which is currently part of the Menil Collection
in Houston, Texas
. A later version of the painting (also of the same name) was made in 1958 and is held in a private collection.
Both paintings feature identical (or near-identical) green apples, but place them in different rooms. In the 1952 version, the room has wood flooring and a glass window with white trim. In the 1958 version, this is replaced by a gray brick room with an arched open-air window.
The painting highlights a number of themes common in Magritte's work. Other paintings to prominently feature an apple include The Son of Man
(1964), where the apple obscures the face of bowler-hatted man, and This is not an Apple (1964), where an apple is accompanied by the caption "Ceci n'est pas une pomme" ("This is not an apple"). It is also one of many paintings to play with the concept of scale by juxtaposing objects normally of different sizes. In Elective Affinities
(1933) an egg is pictured filling a birdcage, in The Tomb of the Wrestlers (1961) a red rose fills a room and in Personal Values (1951-52) common household objects such as a comb, a glass and a bar of soap dwarf the usual furniture in a bedroom.
The 1958 reproduction of the painting was used for the album cover of Beck-Ola
by The Jeff Beck Group
.
Oil painting
Oil painting is the process of painting with pigments that are bound with a medium of drying oil—especially in early modern Europe, linseed oil. Often an oil such as linseed was boiled with a resin such as pine resin or even frankincense; these were called 'varnishes' and were prized for their body...
painting by the Belgian
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
surrealist René Magritte
René Magritte
René François Ghislain Magritte[p] was a Belgian surrealist artist. He became well known for a number of witty and thought-provoking images...
which is currently part of the Menil Collection
Menil Collection
The Menil Collection, located in Houston refers either to a museum that houses the private art collection of founders John de Menil and Dominique de Menil, or to the collection itself...
in Houston, Texas
Houston, Texas
Houston is the fourth-largest city in the United States, and the largest city in the state of Texas. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 2.1 million people within an area of . Houston is the seat of Harris County and the economic center of , which is the ...
. A later version of the painting (also of the same name) was made in 1958 and is held in a private collection.
Both paintings feature identical (or near-identical) green apples, but place them in different rooms. In the 1952 version, the room has wood flooring and a glass window with white trim. In the 1958 version, this is replaced by a gray brick room with an arched open-air window.
The painting highlights a number of themes common in Magritte's work. Other paintings to prominently feature an apple include The Son of Man
The Son of Man
The Son of Man is a 1964 painting by the Belgian surrealist painter René Magritte.Magritte painted it as a self-portrait. The painting consists of a man in an overcoat and a bowler hat standing in front of a short wall, beyond which is the sea and a cloudy sky. The man's face is largely obscured...
(1964), where the apple obscures the face of bowler-hatted man, and This is not an Apple (1964), where an apple is accompanied by the caption "Ceci n'est pas une pomme" ("This is not an apple"). It is also one of many paintings to play with the concept of scale by juxtaposing objects normally of different sizes. In Elective Affinities
Elective Affinities (painting)
Elective Affinities is a 1933 painting by the Belgian surrealist René Magritte. The title is taken from the Johann Wolfgang von Goethe book Elective Affinities.Magritte had the following to say about this work:...
(1933) an egg is pictured filling a birdcage, in The Tomb of the Wrestlers (1961) a red rose fills a room and in Personal Values (1951-52) common household objects such as a comb, a glass and a bar of soap dwarf the usual furniture in a bedroom.
The 1958 reproduction of the painting was used for the album cover of Beck-Ola
Beck-Ola
- Side two :- 2006 reissue bonus tracks :- Personnel :* Jeff Beck — guitars* Rod Stewart — vocals* Nicky Hopkins — piano and organ* Ronnie Wood — bass* Tony Newman — drums- Additional personnel :* Micky Waller — drums on "Sweet Little Angel"...
by The Jeff Beck Group
The Jeff Beck Group
The Jeff Beck Group were an English rock band formed in London in January 1967 by former Yardbirds guitarist Jeff Beck. Their innovative approach to heavy sounding blues and R&B was a major influence on popular music.- The first Jeff Beck Group :...
.