Article October 8, 2018 Issue

Perspicacity and uncommon sense

Kevin Graunke

Originally published in The Christian Science Monitor’s Christian Science Perspective column, April 25, 2018.

The first time I saw artist René Magritte’s self-portrait “Perspicacity,” I was completely captivated by it. He portrays himself sitting at his easel, studying an egg, yet painting a graceful, fully grown bird in flight. What a powerful depiction of imagination and creativity!

Over the years, I’ve come to realize how Magritte’s painting actually presents even more than that. To me, it illustrates what’s possible when we turn our perception away from mere surface appearances toward more discerning views.

In one dictionary perspicacity is defined as “acuteness of discernment or understanding.” I like to think of it as uncommon sense—the ability to rise above the conventional and customary view that would look at an egg and then, well, paint just a replica of the egg.

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