Magritte

Author: He Zhengguang
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-05-01
Features: He seems to be a painter with little charm and creativity, much like the lonely person he painted wearing a round hat—seemingly humble and reserved. Such people seem to live in the history of thought rather than the history of reality. They are forced to live against their will yet drift freely, and grasp the entire world with a cold and detached glance. Magritte is a representative figure of European magical surrealism. Using paintings as a means to express philosophical thoughts is one of the primary purposes of painting. One of the most exciting aspects of viewing Magritte's paintings is that the viewer is always engaged in the process of trying to decipher the "open sesame" code. In his famous painting "The Treachery of Images," he depicts a pipe while writing the words "This is not a pipe." This painting not only subverts the meaning of "representation" in images but also questions the "reality" of words. The idea of playing with symbols between the "signified" and the "signifier," disrupting the relationship of reference, has had a profound influence and is still often used as a commercial advertising technique today. This book quotes many texts written by Magritte about himself and his works, along with stunning illustrations, and is sure to guide readers on a wonderful magical journey. For most readers in China, Magritte is a name that may seem unfamiliar. However, once you have some understanding of surrealism painting, the bizarre and mysterious scenes depicted by Magritte will leave you astonished—regarding the magical surrealism trend within surrealism, Magritte is undoubtedly a master of this trend. As he said, "The mind likes the unknown, the imagery whose meaning is yet unknown, because the meaning of the mind itself is unknown." In his view, painting is a means to awaken the reality of the mind, which transcends our knowledge of the phenomenal world. In his hands, it embodies a variety of consciousness and experiences, such as primordial, dreamlike, sexual, mysterious, death, childlike psychology, absurdity, and transcendence.