René François Ghislain Magritte was born in Lessines in the province of Hainaut on November 21, 1898 to Léopold Magritte and Regina Magritte, he was the eldest child. Before the age of 12, Magritte took formal lessons in painting, sketching and drawing. When René was a young boy, his mother committed suicide by drowning herself. He is said to have been present when his mother's body was pulled from the lake. (Bio-René Magritte) When his mother's body was found, it was said that her dress covered her face and this would be the inspiration for her painting. Many people believe that his mother's death inspired many of his works. After his mother's death, René enrolled at the Academy of Fine Arts in Brussels in search of inspiration and a safe distance from the German invasion of World War I. Here, Magritte was introduced to the three movements that excited him: Cubism, Purism and the Futurism of Metzinger. In Magritte's early years, around 1915, many of his oil paintings were considered impressionist in style. Between 1916 and 1918, Magritte attended the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Brussels, then stopped shortly after because he felt it was a waste of time. During the years 1918 to 1924, René's work began to evolve towards a more futuristic and cubist style. From 1915 to 1924, all his pieces had one thing in common: most were of naked women. In 1922, Magritte married Georgette Berger, whom he met as a child. Magritte and his wife had no children. Magritte worked as a designer in a wallpaper factory from 1922 to 1923 and as an advertising designer until 1926. (Wikipedia) Working as a commercial artist, Magritte was able to pay his bills. It would be decades later before he was able...... middle of paper ... positive that he loved. Magritte started with impressionist work through to futurism and cubism and then surrealism before deciding that surrealism was what he really wanted to paint. Some of his most famous works are The Son of Man, The Mysteries of the Horizon and Golconda. Although it was a struggle at times, Magritte never gave up on what he wanted to do and did whatever he could to ensure that he and his wife had an income. They even tried to move and start over and then go back. During his journey, he met many new friends and inspired many more as a surrealist leader. He also ran into critics who weren't fans of his work, but he never gave up. Magritte continued to create work that would challenge his audience and make them think outside the box. It was only after his death that his work finally became famous and received the recognition it deserved..