At hour 9,783, of this 10,000 hour project to master the art of photography, I was awarded a fellowship of the Royal Photographic Society. This is the highest accolade the society has, and as good an acknowledgement of mastery as there is
To see the images, and Statement of Intent, on my Flickr site, click the image above
For more detail, see below
Background and Structure of this Post
The purpose of this post is to explain the panel how and why I put it together as I did, and how it was received by the assessors
For background into the Surrealist movement and how this has influenced my photography see “Surrealism 100 Years on“
Structure of this post:
Statement of Intent
“A Statement of Intent that defines the purpose of the work, identifying its aims and objectives” – RPS Fellowship Criterion
The Contemporary Group, to whom this this application was submitted, place a particular importance on the Statement of Intent and allow a length of 300 words whereas other genres restrict this to 150
Images – Not in Order
The panel’s central image is my version of Magritte’s 1929 “Treachery of Images“. This image defines the whole panel:
- René Magritte said: “Ceci n’est pas une pipe”; this is not a pipe but a painting of a pipe
- I’m saying: this is not Magritte’s painting but my photograph, inspired by Magritte
This is probably Magritte’s second most famous image, after the Son of Man (apple in front of face), yet was initially ridiculed by critics and fellow surrealists such as André Breton. Many conceptual artists such as Joseph Kosuth with “One and Three Chairs” have subsequently developed this idea
[The original, from 1929, is currently on display at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art]
This is a reinterpretation of Magritte’s, 1964, “Man in Bowler Hat” and follows the same principle as the more famous Son of Man painting, with the man’s face largely hidden leaving the viewer wanting to see what is hidden by the bird
The white bird is a symbol of peace, flying into the light
“The Lovers”
The shrouded heads of the kissing couple is ambiguous in Magritte’s symbolism. On one hand, it suggests blind, unconditional love. On the other hand, the shroud is associated with death; Magritte’s mother was found with her nightdress over her head after drowning herself
[This image has received both good and bad receptions in club competitions]
Magritte used the shrouded headed couple theme in a number of paintings
Reinterpretation of Magritte’s, 1959 “The Castle of the Pyrenees“
The rock carrying the castle symbolises escape; the rough sea, troubles; and the blue sky, hope
My version uses the familiar profile of Corfe Castle, a rock from Kefalonia, the rough sea of Dorset and the blue sky of Stoke Poges, photographed about 200 metres from where I’m sitting typing this post
“Time Transfixed” or “Magritte’s Fireplace”
A modern version of Magritte’s painting which, of course, features a steam train emerging from the fireplace – it was painted in 1938
The original is held in the Art Institute of Chicago
“Son of Man”
My recreation of Magritte’s most iconic work
“We always want to see what is hidden by what we see”
The original is in private ownership, but is occasionally lent to museums for public display
Both painting and photograph have a sense of isolation which is characteristic of paradoxical surrealism
[Note, in both the original and my recreation, the man’s left elbow appears to be on backwards]
My recreation of Magritte’s famous mirror painting, ironically titled “Not to be Reproduced”
The, 1937 original, is now owned by the Museum of Modern Art, New York. Originally the painting was commissioned, along with others such as Time Transfixed, above, by Magritte’s London based patron Edward James, who is the subject of the painting
“Self Portrait After Son of Man”
The photograph replaces the apple and the man’s head with the ubiquitous smartphone
The smartphone is both our means of communication and the source of our isolation. We are increasingly connected virtually whilst evermore physically isolated
Our phone is where our head should be
“The Human Condition” both Magritte’s original painting (held in the National Gallery of Art, Washington DC) and my recreation, show a picture within a picture; a way of looking at a scene from both within the room and outside of it. Because the scene is exactly the same either viewed through the window or on the canvas, one’s subconscious is prompted to question the experience of space and time
“Self Portrait by War Memorial”
This original image was praised by the assessors as being “particularly poignant”
Magritte did something similar but not in front of a war memorial where the names of the dead are clearly visible
Like many artists Magritte refused to explain his images, but the purpose here is to make the viewer look for a little longer
“Decalcomania” the title refers to the process of transferring designs from paper to glass or porcelain prior to glazing. We are literally showing the viewer what is hidden by what they see
Magritte’s 1966 original (now at the Pompidou Centre) shows a bowler hatted man in front of a curtain looking at the sea shore. My version has, me looking out of my French windows, at Cliveden House, the scene of the 1963 political scandal involving John Profumo (an MP and Secretary for War) and Christine Keeler, a 19 year old model
“My Double Secret” shows the inner workings of the human psyche in the context of both life’s travails and hope, as symbolised by the rough sea and blue sky respectively
Magritte’s 1927 original (owned by the Pompidou Centre, but currently on loan to the Surrealism exhibition in Hamburg) shows an androgynous head full of little bells indicating frivolity. My version shows Charles Babbage’s Difference Engine, for which I made a specific trip to the Science Museum to photograph on 11th August 2022. My version created on 31st August 2022, was much closer to the Magritte original with a pinkish curtain, in fact the exact hue of my skin tone. The dark red curtain was introduced to harmonize with the rest of the panel
This was a poster on a wall in Brussels, presumably intended to promote the Magritte Museum
I substituted my own image for that of Magritte
The sense of decay is quite poignant
“The Industrial Human Condition” – this image mirrors the bucolic “Human Condition” on the left of the panel. The Mac computer brings into sharp relief the grim industrial scene outside. Hopefully, contrasting the comfortable environment in which many of us live, with the harsh reality that makes it possible
The motivation to make this image came from a requirement to balance the other panel image, but it has done well in competitions in it’s own right
“Memory of Nefertiti”
Magritte produced several similar paintings usually just called “Memory” in 1948
The viewer is asked to recall psychic injury or emotional trauma
The orb is a cow bell; bells are used in psychoanalysis and various mediative practiced as a sensory anchor
The stormy sea and blue sky symbolise difficulty and hope, and at the same time infinity and isolation
The leaf is an organic contrast to the stone and metallic elements, introducing the concept of decay, renewal and the passage of time
“Man and Woman”
The sea again symbolises travel and distance
The overlapping figures depict a constancy of connection
Magritte used the overlapping of foreground and background in a number of images to create an eerie quality
This is my reinterpretation of Magritte’s 1953 “Golconda” painting (colloquially known as “Raining Men”). The formal title references a legendary town in India that was the centre of the diamond industry, but the term is used more widely to refer to any place of conspicuous wealth
It is perhaps a comment on the uniformity of the people that populate such places. My image features a golf club’s clubhouse
My version of René Magritte’s 1952 The Magician (Self-portrait with four arms). Compared to the original, the version above is more colourful and dynamic with the back wall replaced by a rural scene and the man eating enthusiastically
Lots of potential interpretations including the depiction of split personality, or the alienated subject always trying to fulfill different roles
The painting is amusing as it shows great multitasking capability being used for the mundane purpose of eating lunch more efficiently
“Into the Blue” this is an original picture of me entering my study at home. Perhaps entering a world of blue sky dreaming, or conversely leaving the world of surrealism behind as is indicated by the picture on the wall. The assessors particularly liked the reference to the central image in the panel
“Feet and Clouds”
Magritte’s 1935 “Le Modèle Rouge” shows the union of human foot and leather shoe in a rather drab setting
My reinterpretation places the feet, whilst firmly on the ground, in front of a window pane with an optimistic sky beyond
[My feet may not be my best feature, but neither were Magritte’s]
“Man with Alpine Cough”
The black bird flying from right to left symbolises closure at the end of the panel
Again the main subject of the picture is obscured and we are left wondering what we cannot see
The Assessment
Fellowship Criteria (RPS website): 
- An appropriate and high level of understanding of craft and artistic presentation
- A submission that demonstrates a distinctive body of work
- A Statement of Intent (SoI) that defines the purpose of the work, identifying its aims and objectives
- A cohesive body of work that depicts and communicates the aims and objectives set out in the Statement of intent
- A body of work that communicates an individual’s vision and understanding
- The highest level of technical ability using techniques and photographic practices appropriate to the subject
My portfolio was judged by a panel of 5 existing Fellows of the Contemporary Photography Group as follows:
- My portfolio was displayed as per my hanging plan; brightly lit with colour balanced light, on the three rows in the purpose built room
- The chairperson read out the SoI
- The assessors saw the portfolio as a whole from a seated position, then got up and examined the images in detail – this took maybe 10 minutes
- The chairperson asked for an initial vote; the assessors showed either a red or green card – this is done in secret and was completely invisible to those of us watching the process
- The chairperson asked two of Assessors to convey their views and any concerns regarding the submission
- The chairperson then asked the remaining assessors for any further comments – there was quite a bit of discussion
- A final vote was taken and the decision was made
The scary part of the proceedings was when the assessors were discussing the submission. A lot of emphasis is put on the requirement for this to be a distinctive body of work; i.e., something new. In my case, it was suggested that the work might be derivative on the grounds that, in some cases, I’m copying Magritte’s actual paintings and in others, I’m copying his style. This was addressed by the fact that my SoI concentrates on the differences in medium
The assessors also questioned the section of my SoI that states:
“photography carries a currency of objective truth and therefore trust between photographer and viewer”, which they thought was utter nonsense that, with the advent of AI, etc., hadn’t been true for decades. However, this falsehood adds credence to the next sentence, “The overt manipulation of photographs violates this trust and triggers a desire to look beyond that which is presented”
Which connects back with Magritte’s objective, albeit via an alternative mediumThe technical capability was repeatedly praised
The photos were Giclee printed on 400x500mm Hahnemuhle Photorag paper flush mounted on backing board. The images were atypically large for a distinction assessment, where the received wisdom is to print small so that faults are less noticeable, and a small image in a large mount adds gravitas. Mine were the reverse, very big with room only for a slight border to make them look as much like a painting as possible
A black keyline and drop shadow gave the 3-D impression that the image was standing forward of the mount. This style of mounting was apparently unusual for contemporary submissions and was unanimously approved, with one of the assessors stating that he wanted to touch the edge of the image to check that it was flat. Good artistic presentation – tick
The panel being shown to the Amersham PiC Group on 15th May 2025, the day after the assessment
What’s Next
Many of my favourite reinterpretations or Magritte inspired images did not fit in my fellowship panel
Click on the image to the right to see a wider collection. This will also be updated as I create new pictures
Also, many of my favourite images have nothing to do with Magritte or Surrealism, see my Flickr album: “After 9,000 Hours” or the post “9,000 Hours – 90% Review” and look out for the “Project Completed” post coming soon
Notes
Associated posts:
- “Surrealism 100 Years On“
- “Revised: Top 10 Painters“
- “Most Influential Photographers and Other Artists“
- “Last Paintings of Modern Artists“
Posts about other distinctions:
Many congratulations – a fantastic and merited achievement 👍👍
Thank you Kevin