Perhaps one of Magritte’s most recognizable surrealist paintings, it has become an iconic image, appearing in numerous books, films and videos. Originally painted in 1964 as an oil on canvas, this fascinating painting started out as a self-portrait. When Magritte finished his self-portrait, the result was the image of this anonymous man wearing a bowler hat and entitled “The Son of Man”. He found it too difficult to paint himself, and described this as “a problem of conscience”.