30 review for Rene Magritte, 1898-1967: Thought Rendered Visible

1. 

   5 out of 5

   Darya Conmigo – Apr 26, 2015

   A concise yet well written intro to Magritte's art. It's not a biography: some details and a few anecdotes inevitably come up but do not expect a full account of his life. It's more of a collection of short essays on what makes Magritte one of the most interesting artists, both among fellow surrealists and in general. Paquet's writing is clever and beautiful: "Neither the lion nor the man with folded wings have any business being on this bridge. They embody the melancholy of those who know that r A concise yet well written intro to Magritte's art. It's not a biography: some details and a few anecdotes inevitably come up but do not expect a full account of his life. It's more of a collection of short essays on what makes Magritte one of the most interesting artists, both among fellow surrealists and in general. Paquet's writing is clever and beautiful: "Neither the lion nor the man with folded wings have any business being on this bridge. They embody the melancholy of those who know that real life is always something else, something that does not exist."

2. 

   4 out of 5

   Jean-Pierre – Aug 04, 2011

   Interesting. Critics, semioticians and other specialists have often developed a whole high-flown abstract discourse about Magritte. There is some of that in this booklet, but two points emerge rather clearly : 1) not only is the picture not the thing (this holds for the pipe) but moreover a picture is not always the representation of something in the outside world; it may create a universe of its own; but 2) Magritte may not have sought to encode a complex image /reality / meaning / mind relatio Interesting. Critics, semioticians and other specialists have often developed a whole high-flown abstract discourse about Magritte. There is some of that in this booklet, but two points emerge rather clearly : 1) not only is the picture not the thing (this holds for the pipe) but moreover a picture is not always the representation of something in the outside world; it may create a universe of its own; but 2) Magritte may not have sought to encode a complex image /reality / meaning / mind relationship, but may simply have been playing around and having fun, just as other people play around with words when they are punning.

3. 

   5 out of 5

   Boukhalfa Inal Ahmed – Sep 16, 2020

   Impossible de ne pas prendre en compte l'influence de Rene Magritte lorsqu'on s'intéresse à l'art contemporain. Sa peinture surréaliste renverse ironiquement l'ordre des choses et restitue une part de mystère à un monde privé de magie. Son oeuvre témoigne d'un véritable sens de l'étonnant, du surprenant et du ridicule, mais aussi de l'inquiétant. Les tableaux de Magritte ne comportent pas de message spécifique, mais nous parlent néanmoins, en créant, à travers des jeux d'association, des correspo Impossible de ne pas prendre en compte l'influence de Rene Magritte lorsqu'on s'intéresse à l'art contemporain. Sa peinture surréaliste renverse ironiquement l'ordre des choses et restitue une part de mystère à un monde privé de magie. Son oeuvre témoigne d'un véritable sens de l'étonnant, du surprenant et du ridicule, mais aussi de l'inquiétant. Les tableaux de Magritte ne comportent pas de message spécifique, mais nous parlent néanmoins, en créant, à travers des jeux d'association, des correspondances entre contraires. Rien de plus naturel alors que de voir passer un vol de baguettes de pain à travers la fenêtre d'un donjon. Pour évoquer son art, Magritte parle de "pensées inspirées". On peut en effet le considérer comme un peintre-philosophe qui pense par images et voyage avec une légèreté apparemment espiègle dans l'univers exalté de sa propre imagination.

4. 

   4 out of 5

   Omar Abu samra – Jan 27, 2020

   Unique Magritte

5. 

   5 out of 5

   Ben Kotyuk – Apr 12, 2015

   I remember seeing an exhibit of Magritte's art at a museum when I was in High School. I fell in love with the whole idea of surrealism. Interesting, there was nothing posted about each painting other than the name and date. Later I purchased this book and when I looked at each painting I remembered how I reacted to it at the museum. When I started to read the accompanying text I was horrified. The artist through his art is trying to make a statement directly to the viewer so how can someone else I remember seeing an exhibit of Magritte's art at a museum when I was in High School. I fell in love with the whole idea of surrealism. Interesting, there was nothing posted about each painting other than the name and date. Later I purchased this book and when I looked at each painting I remembered how I reacted to it at the museum. When I started to read the accompanying text I was horrified. The artist through his art is trying to make a statement directly to the viewer so how can someone else tell us how to feel. Unless the text is written by the artist himself, specific text about the artworks's meaning is pointless. I do enjoy reading about an artist's life, interests etc. or how the piece was painted.

6. 

   5 out of 5

   Jeff – Nov 11, 2011

   While Marcel Parquet's text is nothing particularly interesting, this volume from Taschen's Basic Art Series continues the tradition of high-quality reproductions of great art in a very affordable paperback book. No great read, but Magritte's images alone make for a worthwhile journey. While Marcel Parquet's text is nothing particularly interesting, this volume from Taschen's Basic Art Series continues the tradition of high-quality reproductions of great art in a very affordable paperback book. No great read, but Magritte's images alone make for a worthwhile journey.

7. 

   4 out of 5

   Phoebe Macdonald – Mar 23, 2014

   It's hard to write on Magritte, bloody hard. But paquet did a great job considering, and provided a nice,though limited amount of studies for each that I hadn't seen before. It's hard to write on Magritte, bloody hard. But paquet did a great job considering, and provided a nice,though limited amount of studies for each that I hadn't seen before.

8. 

   4 out of 5

   Marilena – Dec 27, 2008

   Marvellous album about Rene Magritte. Images of his works are accompanied by details of his life and by serious interpretations of his works.

9. 

   5 out of 5

   Efímera Bonhomía – Jan 25, 2021

   Este libro resumen la vida y obras del pintor belga René Magritte, considerado realista y con un gran influjo en la corriente filosófica pictórica, Magritte fue un maestro en intentar mostrar que las imágenes no tenían porque ser siempre reales. A través de sus páginas descubrimos una de las mentes más privilegiadas de la historia del arte. Me gustan mucho las ediciones de Taschen sobre los artistas, no sólo porque la información está presentada brevemente y bien explicada sino porque siempre pr Este libro resumen la vida y obras del pintor belga René Magritte, considerado realista y con un gran influjo en la corriente filosófica pictórica, Magritte fue un maestro en intentar mostrar que las imágenes no tenían porque ser siempre reales. A través de sus páginas descubrimos una de las mentes más privilegiadas de la historia del arte. Me gustan mucho las ediciones de Taschen sobre los artistas, no sólo porque la información está presentada brevemente y bien explicada sino porque siempre profundizan en el porqué de sus obras, y es algo que me fascina, los comentarios de las obras son lo mejor que tienen sus ediciones. No pude evitar comprarme la de Magritte ya que es mi artista favorito, me siento muy ligada a la filosofía, y eso hace que siempre me haya sentido atraída por la obra de Magritte, porque me hace reflexionar, porque dentro de sus cuadros no es un esto es lo que ves, lo que hay, más bien nos encontramos un mira un poco mejor y acertarás. En casi todas las obras de Magritte nos encontramos algún tipo de impacto que nos estimula a pensar. Era un pintor que se centraba en las ideas, en los pensamientos que tenía y los hacía visibles. No es que le importara algún tema en particular, siempre buscaba la reflexión generalizada. Su obra se puede considerar para filósofos, o por lo menos para personas aficionadas a la filosofía. Una de las cosas que más caracteriza al pintor es que subvierte el orden de la percepción humana, no todo parece ser lo que crees, en sus cuadros muchas veces podemos ver como todo podría cambiar de sitio en cualquier momento. Los cuadros de Magritte se tornan en poesía tanto como se muestran los pensamientos que son visibles. Son cuadros llenos de poesía, o eso, es lo que dicen todos los expertos sobre él. Se puede resumir que la pintura de Magritte no es un espejo que reproduce pasivamente la realidad, sino que la altera. Y nunca es pasiva, al contrario, opera siempre como un desconcierto perturbante, que te invita a pensar. La imagen de Magritte es siempre una imagen-pensamiento, una imagen donde se refleja su condición de imagen. De hecho, al pintar palabras o frases, Magritte combina el poder disociativo del texto a leer con el poder disociativo de lo visible y los presenta como espacios intermedios. Magritte no es un soñador, es un inventor, un filósofo. Su propósito es demostrar constantemente que lo visible mantiene oculto algo, mientras que lo invisible no puede quedar oculto, ya que su naturaleza misma, no puede ser mostrado. Magritte pensaba en imágenes, sin ideas preconcebidas, de pensar en términos puramente visuales, haciendo participar en el proceso tanto al intelecto como a la metafísica. Este libro es un buen relato para conocer a este gran genio. "Los objetos visibles pueden ser invisibles. Cuando alguien va a caballo por un bosque lo vemos un momento y luego lo dejamos de ver, y sin embargo sabemos que está ahí. Pero en nuestro intelecto comprende ambas cosas, lo visible y lo invisible. Mi propósito al pintar es hacer visible el pensamiento."

10. 

    4 out of 5

    Jairo Salazar – Dec 28, 2017

    This is the first of all Taschen's Art Series Books that I've read so far and I truly enjoyed it. This book is not meant for art experts or art history connoisseurs, so any criticism coming from that perspective is absolutely unfair and out of place. This Taschen Series is targeted for any non-art related person interested in grasping some knowledge on certain artist. Taking that into account, the book is full with great image quality and not-too-basic information that can even surprise the most This is the first of all Taschen's Art Series Books that I've read so far and I truly enjoyed it. This book is not meant for art experts or art history connoisseurs, so any criticism coming from that perspective is absolutely unfair and out of place. This Taschen Series is targeted for any non-art related person interested in grasping some knowledge on certain artist. Taking that into account, the book is full with great image quality and not-too-basic information that can even surprise the most well informed person on Magritte. As Art Historian myself, I found some data and artworks there that I did not even know before. My only complain with the book is in regards to all the continuos references made across the book on pictures that are included way back or way ahead from the page you are reading. This makes you lose continuity of the read and pushed you to look between pages to match what the text is saying with the image of the referenced artwork.

11. 

    5 out of 5

    c_reads_books – Dec 31, 2020

    Magritte by Marcel Paquet explores the famous surrealist painter René Magritte’s life and art. It is divided into the sections (1) growing up in the Black Country, (2) the enigma of poetry, (3) the body in painting, (4) images and words, (5) thought rendered visible, and (6) René Magritte 1898-1967 life and work. Alongside a collection of Magritte’s artwork, Paquet analyzes some of the famous artist’s most famous works of art and the inspiration behind them. I really liked this book. I have alway Magritte by Marcel Paquet explores the famous surrealist painter René Magritte’s life and art. It is divided into the sections (1) growing up in the Black Country, (2) the enigma of poetry, (3) the body in painting, (4) images and words, (5) thought rendered visible, and (6) René Magritte 1898-1967 life and work. Alongside a collection of Magritte’s artwork, Paquet analyzes some of the famous artist’s most famous works of art and the inspiration behind them. I really liked this book. I have always liked and been intrigued by Magritte’s artwork, and I loved getting to delve deeper into the meaning and inspiration behind his art. I also enjoyed learning about Magritte’s life outside of painting and how his wife and friends impacted and carried over into his art. Surrealism is one of my favorite art movements, as I find the artwork visually captivating and powerful in their messages. Overall, I loved this book about Magritte and recommend it to anyone who, like me, loves art!

12. 

    5 out of 5

    Jean Casimiro – Jul 28, 2020

    4.0* estrellas Este libro me pareció bastante interesante, aunque a veces la narrativa no me absorbía por completo, y me costó algo de trabajo incluso cuando se trata de un libro tan corto (tiene, aproximadamente, 94 páginas). La calidad de las imágenes es muy buena, además de que el autor hace análisis de los cuadros de René Magritte de una forma profunda, pues logra darles una interpretación que invita al lector a reflexionar y a intentar encontrar otra forma de ver el mismo cuadro, analizando 4.0* estrellas Este libro me pareció bastante interesante, aunque a veces la narrativa no me absorbía por completo, y me costó algo de trabajo incluso cuando se trata de un libro tan corto (tiene, aproximadamente, 94 páginas). La calidad de las imágenes es muy buena, además de que el autor hace análisis de los cuadros de René Magritte de una forma profunda, pues logra darles una interpretación que invita al lector a reflexionar y a intentar encontrar otra forma de ver el mismo cuadro, analizando sus componentes y su contexto, para encontrarnos con todo un universo posible de interpretaciones en base al propósito original de René Magritte al pintar sus cuadros: No necesariamente crear una representación exacta de un modelo con un único sentido e interpretación, sino plasmar el pensamiento.

13. 

    4 out of 5

    Paoo – Nov 05, 2020

    Magritte es un artista que me apasiona. Lo escogí para un trabajo de clase, razón por la que decidí leer más de él y la verdad es que me ha fascinado, el libro es muy ameno y con un vocabulario muy simple y a la vez complejo, es curioso, pero la manera de intercalar imagen y texto de forma más dinámica y entretenida, hace que mantenga el interés. Respecto a la narración, me flipa la forma de contar del autor, es maravillosa, en todo momento puedo notar el respeto que le tiene al artista y aunque Magritte es un artista que me apasiona. Lo escogí para un trabajo de clase, razón por la que decidí leer más de él y la verdad es que me ha fascinado, el libro es muy ameno y con un vocabulario muy simple y a la vez complejo, es curioso, pero la manera de intercalar imagen y texto de forma más dinámica y entretenida, hace que mantenga el interés. Respecto a la narración, me flipa la forma de contar del autor, es maravillosa, en todo momento puedo notar el respeto que le tiene al artista y aunque no es del todo imparcial, ya que en ciertas páginas se nota si devoción por él, me ha encantado.

14. 

    5 out of 5

    Coralie MIchon – Jun 29, 2020

    Magritte is my all time favourite artist. this is one of the best books i’ve ever read about him, i’m not gonna lie. the proportion painting-information is perfect. we can really understand his art ( and it’s hard to explain it in less than a 100 page ) and his history. he’s such an interesting man, a fascinating artist and a unique painter. he’s an approachable, yet complex, way to understand surrealism. he is an important art icon and everyone should read about him or see his paintings.

15. 

    5 out of 5

    Yoana Chochkova – May 20, 2018

    An essayistic perspective on Magritte's work, which is neatly divided into sections describing the main conceptual trends running through this artist's amazing and unique works. I expected a little more background and chronology in the biographical part but I enjoyed how that tied in with the philosophical and metaphysical discussion. Recommend it. An essayistic perspective on Magritte's work, which is neatly divided into sections describing the main conceptual trends running through this artist's amazing and unique works. I expected a little more background and chronology in the biographical part but I enjoyed how that tied in with the philosophical and metaphysical discussion. Recommend it.

16. 

    4 out of 5

    Victor Amaya – Oct 28, 2019

    Interesante...

17. 

    5 out of 5

    Silvia – Feb 12, 2020

    "Belga, provinciale, serio, profondo, socialmente fragile, ma mentalmente solido, assai vulnerabile, ma in realtà invincibile." "Belga, provinciale, serio, profondo, socialmente fragile, ma mentalmente solido, assai vulnerabile, ma in realtà invincibile."

18. 

    4 out of 5

    Raul – Aug 17, 2018

    Like many of the Taschen series a nice introduction to Magritte’s life and works

19. 

    5 out of 5

    Silvia Piochi – Jul 16, 2018

    Speravo in più analisi delle opere. In realtà si parla solo del suo stile, del suo pensiero, in modo “generale”. Comunque scava molto a fondo in quella che era la mente di questo grande artista.

20. 

    4 out of 5

    Joanne Cowan –

21. 

    5 out of 5

    Jordy Ulloa –

22. 

    5 out of 5

    Max –

23. 

    4 out of 5

    Emilie Glud –

24. 

    5 out of 5

    Tommy Trionfetti –

25. 

    4 out of 5

    Qbic UK –

26. 

    4 out of 5

    Emily –

27. 

    5 out of 5

    Danijela Gojun –

28. 

    5 out of 5

    Annie Wright –

29. 

    4 out of 5

    Jacob –

30. 

    4 out of 5

    Joji –