The Secret

Belgian, 1897-1994
The Secret
1944
oil on wood panel
1972.1

33 1/2 x 20 inches

Until 1936, Delvaux worked within the expressionist-naturalist style and was not involved with the Surrealist movement which developed at the time of World War I. In that year he became familiar with works by De Chirico, Dali and Magritte, and his study of their paintings led him to radically change his style, so that he is now considered a Surrealist although he was not in the original group. Like De Chirico, much of the impact of his work comes from his distortion of forms we associate with "Classical" art.

 - From the catalogue,  The Collection of Mr. and Mrs. David Lloyd Kreeger, Editor Margy P. Sharpe, 1976.