Which odd detail appears in his left arm?

The elbow seems to bend backward

The Son of Man Quiz: Magritte's Apple-Faced Bowler Hat Man

This The Son of Man quiz looks behind the floating green apple in René Magritte's 1964 painting. Play 10 interactive questions on the Belgian surrealist, the bowler hat and overcoat, the low wall, sea and cloudy sky, its role as a self-portrait, an elbow that bends the wrong way, Magritte's thoughts on hidden things, related works and its use in films.

Start the Son of Man Quiz

🎯 Daily Trivia Challenge • 🧠 10 Questions • ⏱️ 150 Seconds

Question 1 / 10 Time: 150s

Artist
Who painted The Son of Man?
Year
When was it painted?
Face
What hides the man's face?
Hat
What kind of hat does the man wear?
Type
What kind of painting is it?
Setting
What lies behind the man?
Elbow
Which odd detail appears in his left arm?
Idea
What did Magritte say everything we see hides?
Related
Which painting shows men in bowler hats raining from the sky?
Film
Which 1999 film used the painting as a theme?

Explanations: answer key for all 10 questions

Q1: Who painted The Son of Man?
Answer: René Magritte
He was a Belgian surrealist.
Q2: When was it painted?
Answer: 1964
It came late in his career.
Q3: What hides the man's face?
Answer: A floating green apple
Only one eye peeks out.
Q4: What kind of hat does the man wear?
Answer: A bowler hat
It became Magritte's symbol.
Q5: What kind of painting is it?
Answer: A self-portrait
Magritte painted himself.
Q6: What lies behind the man?
Answer: A low wall, sea and cloudy sky
The horizon is calm.
Q7: Which odd detail appears in his left arm?
Answer: The elbow seems to bend backward
Look closely at the sleeve.
Q8: What did Magritte say everything we see hides?
Answer: Another thing
He spoke of curiosity about the hidden.
Q9: Which painting shows men in bowler hats raining from the sky?
Answer: Golconda
It shows rows of men floating.
Q10: Which 1999 film used the painting as a theme?
Answer: The Thomas Crown Affair
Many bowler-hatted men appear.

A Face Hidden by an Apple

The Son of Man was painted by Belgian surrealist René Magritte in 1964 as a self-portrait. A man in an overcoat and bowler hat stands before a low wall, with the sea and a cloudy sky behind him, but a floating green apple hides most of his face.

Magritte explained that everything we see hides another thing, and we always want to see what is hidden. One eye peeks from behind the apple, and the man's left elbow seems to bend backward, a subtle oddity many viewers miss.

The bowler hat became Magritte's symbol, also seen in Golconda, where men in bowler hats float like rain. The Son of Man has appeared in films and ads, most famously in the 1999 film The Thomas Crown Affair.

What This Quiz Teaches

Art fans will enjoy these questions.

Who painted it
What hides the face
Which details surprise
What Magritte meant
Where it appears in culture

Did You Know?

The painting is in a private collection.
Man in a Bowler Hat has a dove instead.
Magritte worked in advertising.
Apples recur in his work.
His style is calm and precise.