Why is This Reproduction Prohibited?

René Magritte's surrealist paintings can sometimes be confusing. A great example of that is his Treachery of Images and its confrontational "Ceci n'est pas un pipe" or "This is not a pipe".

In this video, we're taking a look at the painting Reproduction interdite (Not to be Reproduced), a portrait of Edward James, known for his patronage of both Magritte and Salvador Dali. Learn more about it through, notably, Plato's book X of the Republic.