Painted by Belgian artist Rene Magritte, The Treachery of Images displays what appears to be a pipe. Below the pipe, the painting states "Leci n'est pas une pipe." which translates to "This is not a pipe".
Magritte did not shy away from speculation about his painting, and it's seemingly contradictory statement, and simply said the following:
The famous pipe. How people reproached me for it! And yet, could you stuff my pipe? No, it's just a representation, is it not? So if I had written on my picture "This is a pipe", I'd have been lying!
This view on paintings was considered quite odd, and such views turned out to be very positive exposure. This seemingly contradicting painting turned into, and still is, one of the most famous pieces of surrealist art to date. But why on earth did they use this as inspiration!? I hear you cry. Well, British Airways used this starting point to make a particular statement. They didn't want to be considered as just an airline, where you paid to ride on just a plane. The plane is simply a factor in your experience with British Airways, as explained in the print ad. Your time with British Airways is an experience, and the plane is what takes you there.
Was the approach to the message the right approach? It's debatable. I feel that not many will get the reference, especially if you consider the target audience. Do business men have time to research into a Belgian artist from the 20th century? Maybe not. Do their lives cater for such interests? Perhaps no. Many arguments could be made about the suitability of the ad, but what is for sure is that they have referenced a classic piece of Surrealist art effectively and appropriately.
This is an interesting analysis and discussion of a reference to Surrealism in advertising. As you say the work references a well-known painting by Magritte and perhaps the target audience is well-educated and highly cultured. the painting is very well-known and Magrite is not obscure. Your post is an interesting piece of (and very good example of) object-based research, that points to how meaning is created in advertising. Perhaps in future posts we can see some more contextual analysis as well as the use of semiotics.
ReplyDeletewell done.
Thank you Janine, I have struggled with the blog posts as you may have noticed but your feedback has helped boost my confidence.
Delete- Emily