“You need hopes and dreams for nourishment; this is the realm in which advertising operates. Advertisements resonate with people seeking to make their dream a reality” (Pincas & Loiseau, 2008, p.290). Hence adverts need to present products in a dream-like manner. This research paper examines the influence of Rene Magritte on graphic design, mainly advertisements. Advertisements aim to influence consumer’s behavior and are designed to do so. Thus, advertisements have been influenced by various art movements that encompass influential and innovative qualities. Likewise, Surrealism, an art movement with “hyperbole” as its central quality, influences advertising which also uses the strategy of exaggeration to present products (Roque, 2007, p.172). …show more content…
Dictated by thought in the absence of any control exercised by reason” (Grunenberg & Pih, 2011, p.168) Evolving from Dadaism in1920’s, Surrealism dealt with a way of feeling and thinking instead of aesthetics (Meggs & Purvis, 2012, p.270). It is the most influential avant-garde art movement of the twentieth century which presents a visual means to express fantasy and thoughts (Meggs & Purvis, 2012, p.270). Surrealism had an inevitable influence on fine art, graphic design and advertising (Roque, 2007, …show more content…
His work always contained unique methods of communication and a “sense of commercial pull” which attracted many commercial artists to directly imitate and copy his imagery in advertisements (Meuris, 1997, p.193). Moreover, since Magritte was able to present an object in a suggestive manner (Meuris, 1997, p.193), designers started substituting and collaging their products into his images to create advertisements which use the power of his imagery. For instance, the Volkswagen Polo Blue Motion Ad by DDB Berlin is a collage of Magritte’s paintings and motifs such as the clouds and oversized objects. ‘The Son of Man’ is one painting which has been copied to form an hourglass man holding the petrol pipe. Similarly, there is a series of Allianz ads which are direct copies of the ‘Ceci n’est pas une Pipe’ imagery. (“Magritte: The apple and his eye”, n.d.). In this manner, his paintings, placed along with text have become a part of many