Customer Reviews

Rene Magritte (Artists of the 20th Century)

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Kultur gives a superficial, unsatisfactory overview of Belgian surrealist painter René Magritte and his art. Too many paintings are shown within this 50-minute program compared to other productions of Kultur dedicated to the visual arts. Think for instance about the Dutch Masters by Kultur. Furthermore, whoever does not have a good knowledge of French, will feel disappointed due to a lack of background information to better appreciate some artwork by Magritte. The commentary is sometimes too academic. Exposure to Magritte's art at an exhibition held in Oostende, Belgium years ago helped me get a better appreciation for what Kultur was trying to accomplish in this program. As a side note, a new solo exhibition of Magritte's work to be held in several major museums of fine arts in the U.S. would make it possible for the general public to gain a better appreciation of the artistic output of one of the most original, talented visual artists of the 20th century CE.

Paintings almost always seem so much more rich and alive when seen in film and slide media instead of in a book. Such is the value of this film which presents the viewer with a reasonably good variety of Magritte's work.

The problem with the film is that we are told almost nothing about Magritte himself or the artistic and social culture in which he worked. The commentary for each picture is provided in total academic speak. I love art, have a large collection or art books, and have taken art history courses, but the artbabble on this film is the ultimate in gaseous art jargon. The best way to watch this film is to turn the sound off, and admire the art work.

This documentary presents hundreds of works by the artist. It is a narrated slide show. The commentary is very detailed, competent, and comprehensive. It includes extensive biography mixed with a very professional painting analysis encompassing influence of other artists with examples of their works. The quality of video and sound is good.