The empire of lights

The Empire of Light is a series of paintings by René Magritte that depict a paradoxical landscape where a nighttime scene unfolds beneath a sunlit sky. Created using oil on canvas, these paintings explore surreal juxtaposition, blending day and night in a way typical of Surrealism. Although not conceived as a formal series, the paintings span from the 1940s to the 1960s and remain rarely exhibited together. The original French title, L'Empire des lumières, is often translated as either the singular The Empire of Light or the plural The Empire of Lights, emphasizing the concept of an empire or dominion of light that challenges perception and expectation.