Magritte

Magritte

<div id="description_text_headlines"> <div> <strong>The great Belgian Surrealist: Magritte's paintings give a sense of the amazing, the surprising, and the ridiculous</strong></div> <div>  </div> </div> <div id="description_text"> It is impossible to overlook the influence of Ren© Magritte (1898-1967) on contemporary art. His surrealistic painting turns the usual order of things ironically on its head, thus restoring mystery to a world that has lost its magic.<br /> <br /> His work typically conveys a sense of the amazing, the surprising, and the ridiculous€"but also the unsettling. Without a specific message, Magritte€s paintings nonetheless speak to us, creating a connection between opposites on an associative level. Thus a dinner roll can, with complete naturalness, fly past a barred dungeon opening.<br /> <br /> In discussing his art, Magritte spoke of "inspired thoughts": he was indeed a painter-philosopher who thought in pictorial form and moved with seemingly playful lightness in the exalted atmosphere of his own imagination.</div> <div>  </div> <div id="series_text" style="display: block;"> <strong>About the Series:</strong><br /> Each book in TASCHEN€s Basic Art series features:<ul> <li>a detailed chronological summary of the life and oeuvre of the artist, covering his or her cultural and historical importance</li> <li>a concise biography</li> <li>approximately 100 illustrations with explanatory captions</li> </ul> </div>