In its enigmatic imagery and soft pastel tones, Le civilisateur belongs to an important period in Magritte’s art often referred to as ‘Sunlit Surrealism’ (or the Renoir period), which was developed as a direct response to the rise of Fascism and war in Europe. To respond effectively to these tumultuous events, including the German occupation of his native country, Magritte embarked upon a radically different stylistic path. Beginning in 1943, he produced a series of works that combined unsettling surrealist imagery with stylistic traits traditionally associated with Impressionism. Magritte retrospectively described his intentions during this period, writing in 1955 that: ‘For the period I call “Surrealism in full sunlight,” I am trying to join together two mutually exclusive things: 1) a feeling of levity, intoxication, happiness, which depends on a certain mood and on an atmosphere that certain Impressionists - or rather, Impressionism in general - have managed to render in painting. Without Impressionism, I do not believe we would know this feeling of real objects perceived through colours and nuances, and free of all classical reminiscences... and, 2) a feeling of the mysterious quality of objects...’ (Magritte in a letter to G. Puel, quoted in Harry Torczyner, René Magritte, Ideas and Images, Paris, 1977, p. 186).

The subject of Le civilisateur is Magritte and Georgette’s third dog, a white Pomeranian-Spitz named Jackie (fig. 1). The couple devoted much of their attention to their canine companions and indeed, the numerous photographs that captured the relationship between artist and animal would inspire Paul Simon’s song René and Georgette Magritte With Their Dog During the War. In the year in which the present work was conceived, Magritte painted several portraits of animals. Having recently executed Le météore, which takes a horse as its focal point, Magritte was anxious to further his investigations, believing that suggestive animal portraits allowed the viewer access to a greater truth. In a postcard dated from 10th June 1944, Magritte sketched out an image of Le civilisateur and wrote: ‘I have started a new picture in the horse series: with an enthusiasm which is unusual and of sound quality. Nougé, who has seen the initial stage, thinks the picture very important. It is curious, I think, to see the worn-out human face, and then objects, replaced by animals which seem to give the strongest suggestion of life. (Truth to life, different from that created by statesmen or bullies)’ (D. Sylvester, S. Whitfield & M. Raeburn, op. cit., London, 1993, vol. II, p. 336).

The present work is the first of a small number of works that depict the anthropomorphic presence of the Magrittes’ dog under the name Le civilisateur. The present composition places Jackie in front of a Doric temple that draws direct similarities with the work of Paul Delvaux and his classically inspired Surrealist landscapes (fig. 2). The presence of the Pomeranian-Spitz, in place of one of Delvaux’s nude women, adds an element of humour, whilst characteristically defying interpretation. In the catalogue raisonné entry for Le civilisateur, it has been suggested that the inclusion of the temple could have been a conscious pastiche: ‘Perhaps this is a deliberate piece of borrowing on Magritte’s part, possibly in order to poke fun at the work of his rival by replacing the ubiquitous nude with a dog; perhaps the resemblance is purely fortuitous’ (ibid., p. 338). The flowing fur, subtle suggestion of a smile and introspective expression within the animal’s eyes, evoke a feminine and sentient presence. This instils a feeling that is at one moment unsettling and at another endearing, as it oscillates between the uncanny and the memory of the artist’s beloved pet. The dog being a timeless symbol of loyalty and innocence, it is possible that Magritte incorporated the image of Jackie to induce the feeling of levity and optimism mentioned in 1955. Magritte treats Jackie with careful attention to detail, juxtaposing the loose, feathery brushstrokes applied to the landscape with the refined facture most often associated with his œuvre. This discontinuity in style demonstrates Magritte’s adept handling of the medium and reminds the viewer that Magritte is consciously subverting the imagery of Impressionism.