The THREE levels.

'Collective Invention' By René Magritte.

Representation:

René Magritte was a Belgian Surrealist artist, and was known for his witty, thought provoking images. His work gives observers different forms to perceptions of reality. I chose this painting because the simple mockery of what a mermaid is suppose to look like. As we see from afar, the waves represent the humanistic ego's deep subconscious, since the 'mermaid' is being coughed up out from the deep, we can notice by the way it's laying on it's side that it's docile, and even though the creature has legs, it doesn't even think to use them, hinting to observer that the half fish, half woman doesn't have a brain. This image also denotes the strangeness and absurdity to most things were are familiar to, which can relate to the three levels of visual design. 

Abstract:

The element to abstraction immediately relates to the three levels as the representation is the deep sea, almost showing the creature how subconscious it is. And since the viewer is believed to think that the creature was washed up unto the beach the waves and surroundings create the structure of the painting.

Symbolic:

The mermaid is a symbol of a glitch in societal expectations because us humans tend to suppress some thoughts that do not follow the standard "norm". We want to believe that mermaids actually do exist, but has there been any proof that a person has seen one? Magritte removed the exact beauty by using the opposites of what a mermaid is supposed to look like.