No comments about Magritte And Photography.

1 comments about Magritte.

1. A series of plates with page-long descriptions makes this book both beautiful and informative. Magritte's mysterious and thought-provoking paintings are captured in too-real color, and Hammacher's accompanying comments for each are both witty and insightful. It's hard to put down! There is also a nice biography of Magritte's life beginning the edition; one can feel like an expert easily. Finally, the large size and sturdy cover contributes to why the book is one of my favorites for the coffee table.

No comments about Rene Magritte: The Empire of Images.

3 comments about The Portable Magritte (Portables).

1. Good book.. All pictures of all Magritte's works. good coffee table book.



2. You know how Time Life comes out with those informercials selling CD collections - claiming that if you tried to buy all the different albums for the songs that they have all in one set, you would spend hundreds of dollars?

   Well, it's kind of the same deal with art books. I will wait YEARS if necessary to buy the right book of XYZ artist - and my search ended with the Portable Magritte. It is not a particularly LARGE book, but if you are looking for a favorite work, you are more likely to find it here than in other books!




3. Magritte, straight up - his pictures and almost nothing else.
   
   It's an incredibly rich experience, and even better for its strict chronological order. I'm fascinated to see themes appear, endure, fade away, and recur. What are those silvery balls with the black bands? Why tubas? That nearly Impressionist phase in the mid 1940s was a remarkable depature, but one that didn't last.
   
   Best of all, the time series lets me see his skills develop. I like his later figures much better than the earlier ones, for one thing. His landscapes and textures gained in subtlety, too. Most of all, he continued to develop his language of image throughout his life - "The Blank Signature" (Le Blanc-seign) expresses ambiguities that he seemed to have worked decades to achieve.
   
   Except for a brief time-line at the end, there is no commentary. I like that, at least I like it better than un-helpful commentary. Hughes consciously leaves me and Magritte alone with each other. That's fine by me - Magritte spoke through his pictures, and I might not have appreciated the interruption.
   
   The book is beautifully printed, but somewhat small. Given this book's quality of color, wealth of images, and modest cost, I can accept that. It's a great introduction to this Surrealist master, a book I keep coming back to.
   
   //wiredweird

1 comments about Rene Magritte: Now You See It-Now You Don't (Adventures in Art (Prestel)).

1. As an art teacher, I have been very impressed with this series of books for children. This volume, in particular, helps to explain some of the interesting and yet bizarre qualities of this surreal artist. I look forward to the next book in this series.

5 comments about This Is Not a Pipe (Quantum Books).

1. "If you are looking for a quick read"? What are you doing with Foucault when there's always another Tom Clancy? If you think that looking at pictures precludes thinking about them, then this book isn't for you.



2. No, Foucault is never easy. He sometimes even writes in Foucault-ese. But the intellectual payoffs are well worth it. Seeing him approach a single painting -- which you can look at while reading the book -- is much less taxing than seeing him dissect huge topics such as the history of prisons or the history of sex. Sure, those bigger Foucault tomes carry immense rewards all their own... but for a good, stimulating, and challenging (but not TOO challenging!) introduction to Foucault's philosophy of seeing and of naming, this is a great read.

   Perhaps this book is a better choice for philosophy or lit-crit fams than art / art history fans. The "artistic" value of the painting is really of not much importance to Foucault; he is more concerned with its self-referentiality, its use of meaning and names, and so on.




3. I read this in college while studying semiotics and surrealism, yet the message of Foucault should not be relegated to the exotic and extreme "isms" of academia. I found "Pipe" to be a marvelous and playful illustration of the tryanny of language and the Orwellian control of thought which follows. Readers of Postmodern thought, Zen, Marxism, Film Theory, Psychoanlysis, and Modern Art will find moments of illumination throughout.



4. if you consider this treacle then you certainly lack any real insight into philosophy or art criticism of the 20th century; either that, or you're carrying some kind of baggage or childish grudge.

   foucault offers us just one interpretation of magritte's _pipe_, and some thought in general about art, representation and the sign. it's really just part of an on-going discussion. it's a shame he's dead; he'd have loved usenet.

   in any case, this book is one voice in a chorus of discussion on the matter; his is also an informed, intelligent, and original voice - albeit controversial (see review below for ruffled feathers).

   this book stands on its own, but is definetly not a good introduction to foucault per se; I think it's best to start with a history of sexuality volume I, then read the introduction of history of sexuality volume II, and then you can pretty much read any foucault from there.




5. This essay entitled "This Is Not A Pipe" is a fascinating excursion into the intriguing art of the great 20th C. Belgian painter. In this essay Foucault blurs the space between the critic and the subject being criticized. His thorough analysis inculcates his own hypertextual "isms" and replicating terminology that adequately reciprocates Magritte's offbeat beauty. From Foucault's view of what he considers the two principles that ruled painting (European painting?) from the 15th C. to the 20th C., to the relationship between resemblance and similitude, the mystery and static of a Magritte painting is transported onto the pages of this book. Ultimately this text is an interesting display of the interplay between text, image and the elements inculcated in the analysis thereof.

No comments about André Breton: Surrealism and Painting.

1 comments about Magritte (World of Art).

1. This book illustrates the reader through Magritte's life while giving background to the works. I read this book for fun and subsequently decided to study Magritte in school. It discusses surrealism as a whole as well as the historical context of Magritte's work. This book got me hooked on Magritte!!

1 comments about René Magritte (Getting to Know the World's Greatest Artists).

1. As an Art Historian . . . University level . . . I have never come across such a succinct book on the work of this 'Academic Illusionist!' This is one case where I can not believe that so much quality has been placed in such a tiny book. This is a much more insightful and accessible read on Magritte than any 1000 page dusty book. I even thought it was rather a quaint touch that the book contained an 'errata' insert . . . Magritte would smile in his grave! Although I do expect to receive an autographed and 'corrected' copy from the author!
   A must buy for ANYONES' library.

5 comments about Rene Magritte 1898-1967: Thoughts Rendered Visible (Basic Art) (Basic Art).

1. This 89 page book is great for, artists, art fanactics, or anyone interested in Magritte or Surrealist art. This book goes through Magritte's life as an artist. I think its a great deal because there is so much of his artwork included to go along with the text, and its all in color. I enjoyed the chronology at the end of the book and the photographs of Magritte with his family and other members of the Surrealist group.



2. This 89 page book is great for, artists, art fanactics, or anyone interested in Magritte or Surrealist art. This book goes through Magritte's life as an artist. I think its a great deal because there is so much of his artwork included to go along with the text, and its all in color. I enjoyed the chronology at the end of the book and the photographs of Magritte with his family and other members of the Surrealist group.



3. if asked to pick a favourite surrealist i would have to pick rené magritte, his images are so clean & refined. the apples, the bowlers hat, and the floating crowd, all signatures of magritte have become embedded in mainstream culture because of the beauty of his works. so far i haven't found a better source of magritte's artworks, this book is a must for your coffee table!



4. While surrealism is not everyone's cup of tea,RENE MAGRITTE is certainly one of it's most celebrated figure.What i like about that collection is that it's affordable, even if it can't have everything.You can not say you don't have your money's worth.MAGRITTE is basically a painter who thinks ,that's why his works is unique in a strange way.The visuals aspects of his sex oriented works are often quite funny.Rock fans will recognize the sleeve of JEFF BECK'S TRUTH a 1968 record who uses LA CHAMBRE D'ÉCOUTE(The green apple).Those BELGIAN artists MAGRITTE,DELVAUX and TANGUAY were really something else.



5. Excellent book into the thoughts of the artist! If you are a Magritte fan, you'll love this book.