Customer Reviews

Magritte: Attempting the Impossible

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This hefty monograph was written by one of the most brilliant post-war German museum curators and art scholars and its publication coincides with the opening of the Magritte Museum in Brussels. It is an interesting study that follows a strictly chronological pattern with an original angle: each period is tackled through the in-depth examination of one key emblematic work (The Lost Jockey, 1926, The Treachery of Images, 1929, The Red Model, 1935, The Dominion of Light, 1954, etc). This methodological choice makes for enlightening reading and undoubtedly renders the text livelier and easy to read and grasp.

Now, the colored illustrations are numerous and often full-page but, unfortunately, the quality of the paper is mediocre and the pictures do not allow a glimpse into Magritte's technique and brushwork. The reproductions consequently appear dull and flat, which accounts for a three-star rating.

Magritte is a personal favorite of mine. His sense of story-telling through such visual, vivid images haunts your memory long after you close the book. It's best to take it in little sections and savor the "story".