The treachery of images (This is not a pipe)

René Magritte's The Treachery of Images (1966) is a symbolic painting that challenges perception and reality. It features a realistic depiction of a pipe with the caption, «This is not a pipe», emphasizing the distinction between an object and its representation. As a masterpiece of Surrealism, the artwork invites viewers to question the relationship between images and their meanings, highlighting the limits of representation. Magritte’s clever juxtaposition plays with the idea that an image of an object is not equivalent to the object itself, embodying the surrealist fascination with the uncanny and the subconscious.