Time Transfixed 1938 — Fine Art

A steam train appears to pass through the wall of a quiet room in Time Transfixed 1938 by Rene Magritte. The locomotive sits inside a plain hall, its chimney smoking straight up into still air. Solid shapes and flat colour define the scene in the surrealist painting practice.

The fine art paper keeps the dark greens and the pale room quiet under a lamp. A light frame lets the train stand out against a pale wall, or a dark frame suits a darker wall. The fine art print sits at the height where the chimney smoke reads first.

It fits a hallway where you pass each day. From the landing you see the train inside the wall. Up close the flat green nose of the engine meets the pale plaster, and the smoke line stays clean against the plain ceiling.