One of the world's first examples of meta-communication, "The Treachery of Images," or the Pipe painting, is probably Magritte's most popular piece.
"Ceci n'est pas une pipe" has gained a life of its own. But before entering pop culture, it had a purpose: to challenge the viewer to explore the nature of representation. Magritte's meticulous rendering of the pipe, combined with the written statement that it is not, in fact, a pipe, highlights the gap between language and visual perception – is a picture of something that something, or a mere representation? In either case ,what are the limits of representation?
What about our "Not a Pipe" socks? Are they real socks inspired by this thought-provoking masterpiece, or just a representation of those same socks? Don't worry, you won't get a representation in the mail :)
