Two at a Time : The Lovers

Perfection comes in pairs. Macaroni and cheese. Peanut butter and jelly. Cheese and bread. Strawberry and chocolate. I can go on. Oh! The classic: salt and pepper, of course. :)

s&p shakers. they're the best of buddies.

We're social creatures.  Mark Zuckerberg was brilliant in his creation of Facebook - he knew what society wanted without anyone saying a word about it.  He exploited our need to seek others out, to interact and to share. It was genius.  But, if you've seen The Social Network, you'll know that his creation didn't explode until he added one special feature: relationship status.

There's a reason why romance movies are so popular, and why love stories are always in demand, even if they offer little substance to the literary world ( I'm not hating - I personally love those fluffy novels ).  We love learning about other couples and their backstories.  How did they meet?  Where was their first date?  What kind of relationship do they have?  I ask probably too many questions.

the lovers. rene magritte. painting.

Love is one of the most significant themes in the art world.  There is no emotion more universal; I think at least a part of us all seek that other person, who will eventually be our constant companion.  This painting by Magritte is tragic, to me.  They're situated right next to one another, with their heads touching in an intimate way, yet there is a white cloth covering both their heads.  In a world where so many yearn for love, these two have almost found it, save for that white barrier.

the lovers. magritte. painting.

Magritte painted another version of The Lovers, and this one I find is more interesting: there are hints of sexual frustration, violence, and emotional frenzy in this that awed me.  There is so much passion encapsulated between this pair, yet it is thwarted from being fulfilled by those suffocating pieces of cloth.

friends, "the one with the chicken pox." picture.

As with the previous painting, I wondered why their heads are covered in cloth - are they not allowed to be together?  Are they sick?  I thought of Phoebe from Friends.

the lovers. jarek puczel. painting.

The lovers motif is a common one in art, but I found this version by Puczel a particularly great contrast to the ones by Magritte.  While there is a similar lack of facial features, this one is not caused by any sort of covering, but rather a blending of the two faces.  Rather than portraying the yearning, Puczel focuses on the intertwined nature of lovers.  He emphasizes feelings of connectedness and the need, almost, between the two for one another.

"When we love, we think constantly about each other." Jarek Puczel.