I confess this week I discovered in much joy the paintings of Rene Magritte.
It all started with early 10,000 Maniacs who mentioned Magritte many years ago I heard Natalie Merchant do so when I was about...15. Next I had this book of surrealist painters I acquired in early '99 or so. I liked the book a great deal, and Magritte was in it, but still nothing I had seen of his work had elevated him above the other artists in the book for me.
Then at Mav's pre-Christmas gathering this past December, I was in Mav's kitchen and noticed a book in the shelf that said "Magritte" and I recognized the name and decided to give it a go, bought a Magritte book, and I'm utterly spellbound.
The paintings of Magritte can be truly amazing.
Magritte
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sara
My brother loves Magritte, the bowler hats. He has a book that he showed me. The picture that intrigues me the most is the one of the house, I have no idea what it's name is (okay I just looked it up on posters.com it's The Empire of Light), the one where you can't tell if it's morning or evening.
On the cover of my copy of Milan Kundera's The Unbearable Lightness of Being, is a bowler hat balanced between two pointer fingers -- one of the female characters has a thing for this bowler hat, and then another one has all of these weird dreams that she thinks about -- since the first time I read it I've wondered if Magritte wasn't an influence on Kundera. Anybody know?
He was an influence on David Mann, Easy Rider the magazine. There is one Mann painting called A Humorous Balance which shows Charlie Chaplin standing on a deck of cards, it's really good. Not in a David Mann kind of way, but in a I love Magritte and Charlie Chaplin kind of way. We got a book of Mann's favorite prints at a biker rally. I opened it up to the back and there was the picture. I was like holy shit! A tribute to Magritte at a biker rally -- you just never know!
On the cover of my copy of Milan Kundera's The Unbearable Lightness of Being, is a bowler hat balanced between two pointer fingers -- one of the female characters has a thing for this bowler hat, and then another one has all of these weird dreams that she thinks about -- since the first time I read it I've wondered if Magritte wasn't an influence on Kundera. Anybody know?
He was an influence on David Mann, Easy Rider the magazine. There is one Mann painting called A Humorous Balance which shows Charlie Chaplin standing on a deck of cards, it's really good. Not in a David Mann kind of way, but in a I love Magritte and Charlie Chaplin kind of way. We got a book of Mann's favorite prints at a biker rally. I opened it up to the back and there was the picture. I was like holy shit! A tribute to Magritte at a biker rally -- you just never know!
Bikers and Magritte, that's an odd combo alright!
I don't know who either Mann or Kanundra are, although I did see the movie Unbearable Lightness...
Hey Sarah I just wanted to point out incase you didn't know, if you need to edit your post you can do it by pushing the little "edit" button that shows on the left underneath your name and stuff.
I know the Magritte painting you are talking about where you can't tell if it's day or night. I think that's the one where it looks like the streetlamp has darkness coming out of it. Brilliant.
My favorite so far is the one with the grand piano encircled by a giant wedding ring and he entitled it "The Happy Hand". There's one that's really memorable, though where he has all these bowler-hat guys who all look the same falling out of the sky as though they were raindrops. Do you know these paintings?
A lot of times I look at his stuff and just think "My God, what in the WORLD could possibly make someone want to do that or think that up?" Like this one he has of this marble rectangle set in what looks like the desert under a bliistering sun. The rectangle looks like it had been the platform for a marble statue, only there's no statue. You just look at it and think "What the fuck? What the hell is that supposed to mean?"
I don't know who either Mann or Kanundra are, although I did see the movie Unbearable Lightness...
Hey Sarah I just wanted to point out incase you didn't know, if you need to edit your post you can do it by pushing the little "edit" button that shows on the left underneath your name and stuff.
I know the Magritte painting you are talking about where you can't tell if it's day or night. I think that's the one where it looks like the streetlamp has darkness coming out of it. Brilliant.
My favorite so far is the one with the grand piano encircled by a giant wedding ring and he entitled it "The Happy Hand". There's one that's really memorable, though where he has all these bowler-hat guys who all look the same falling out of the sky as though they were raindrops. Do you know these paintings?
A lot of times I look at his stuff and just think "My God, what in the WORLD could possibly make someone want to do that or think that up?" Like this one he has of this marble rectangle set in what looks like the desert under a bliistering sun. The rectangle looks like it had been the platform for a marble statue, only there's no statue. You just look at it and think "What the fuck? What the hell is that supposed to mean?"
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sara
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sara
Hey, I found it:
http://www.hammondgallery.co.uk/artist. ... t=40&sort=
Also on the same page is a picture of The Lovers II, that's on a book of poems that I have, The Other Stars by Rachel Wetzsteon. I had no idea it was a Magritte -- the cover is the only reason I picked up the book -- I'd never heard of Rachel Wetzsteon before
http://www.hammondgallery.co.uk/artist. ... t=40&sort=
Also on the same page is a picture of The Lovers II, that's on a book of poems that I have, The Other Stars by Rachel Wetzsteon. I had no idea it was a Magritte -- the cover is the only reason I picked up the book -- I'd never heard of Rachel Wetzsteon before
90% glory, 10% drinking, I love it.
Hello Rosie. If you're drunk, believe me, I understand.
Thanks for the link Sarah! I went back to my Surrealist painters book and found some Magritte stuff that isn't in my Magritte book, which kindof pisses me off. Why can't they just have a COMPLETE book of all his stuff? Luckily the library near my house, which has been closed for renovations for over a year is about to reopen so I'm gonna try to get more of him. One more thing I wanted to say about him...I like that some of his stuff is very disturbing to me. Like a bad dream. It's very powerful. There is one piece he did called "The Rape" that is just really disturbing and weird. It's supposed to be a portrait of a woman's face but instead he paints it as though the face were her body...the breasts being the eyes, the belly button nose, and the pubic hair for the mouth. Before you have even read the title of the thing you think "eew, this is really weird and unsettling"...
I found it helpful in analyzing Magritte's work to find that apparently his mother committed suicide when he was 14 by walking into a lake, and that the young Magritte had seen her body dragged from the water with her garment over her face. There are a few things he did with people having cloth over their faces that look really weird and unsettling. Also the "Great War" paintings with an apple in front of a man's face and grapes over a woman's.
Mav, as usual, you are too self-critical. I don't even know the movie you are talking about. How did it have a connection to Magritte? I envy you and McC both for having so much ready access to new movies. It's very rare I'll actually go to a theater to see a movie (too much money!)or even rent new movies. I pay attention to the old ones more. I think it might be fair to say most new movies are probably crap, and so I'm sure you have to contend with that, but at the same time the good ones that come out I'm going to miss every time.
Hello Rosie. If you're drunk, believe me, I understand.
Thanks for the link Sarah! I went back to my Surrealist painters book and found some Magritte stuff that isn't in my Magritte book, which kindof pisses me off. Why can't they just have a COMPLETE book of all his stuff? Luckily the library near my house, which has been closed for renovations for over a year is about to reopen so I'm gonna try to get more of him. One more thing I wanted to say about him...I like that some of his stuff is very disturbing to me. Like a bad dream. It's very powerful. There is one piece he did called "The Rape" that is just really disturbing and weird. It's supposed to be a portrait of a woman's face but instead he paints it as though the face were her body...the breasts being the eyes, the belly button nose, and the pubic hair for the mouth. Before you have even read the title of the thing you think "eew, this is really weird and unsettling"...
I found it helpful in analyzing Magritte's work to find that apparently his mother committed suicide when he was 14 by walking into a lake, and that the young Magritte had seen her body dragged from the water with her garment over her face. There are a few things he did with people having cloth over their faces that look really weird and unsettling. Also the "Great War" paintings with an apple in front of a man's face and grapes over a woman's.
Mav, as usual, you are too self-critical. I don't even know the movie you are talking about. How did it have a connection to Magritte? I envy you and McC both for having so much ready access to new movies. It's very rare I'll actually go to a theater to see a movie (too much money!)or even rent new movies. I pay attention to the old ones more. I think it might be fair to say most new movies are probably crap, and so I'm sure you have to contend with that, but at the same time the good ones that come out I'm going to miss every time.
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sara
Mark,
Here's part of a poem from the book with The Lovers II on the cover -- I thought you might enjoy it:
Mirror Effects
I. The Philospher's Lamp
(after Magritte)
The man is smoking his own nose! Into the pipe it
goes, a mighty snout if there ever was one,
and all appears fixed and finished until,
entering the frame again,
the nose creeps up a table
where it serves as a candle which lights
the room, making possible our knowledge
that the man is smoking . . .
What if my leavings
are like his poor misguided ravings, fuel for my own
pleasure, illumination, but nonetheless
based on my circulation, and therefore
getting me nowhere fast? Pressing questions, but
smoking is never really the same as stroking --
the nose . . .
Here's part of a poem from the book with The Lovers II on the cover -- I thought you might enjoy it:
Mirror Effects
I. The Philospher's Lamp
(after Magritte)
The man is smoking his own nose! Into the pipe it
goes, a mighty snout if there ever was one,
and all appears fixed and finished until,
entering the frame again,
the nose creeps up a table
where it serves as a candle which lights
the room, making possible our knowledge
that the man is smoking . . .
What if my leavings
are like his poor misguided ravings, fuel for my own
pleasure, illumination, but nonetheless
based on my circulation, and therefore
getting me nowhere fast? Pressing questions, but
smoking is never really the same as stroking --
the nose . . .
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mccutcheon
- New York Scribbler
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Mark, you are right. Movies cost too much. In NYC it's $10.50 all day/all night, no mantinee fees. A few blocks down the street you can by bootle versions of Barber Shop 2 on DVD for $5. I don't feel bad for the rich cats in pop culture like the Reccord label execs and movie mongols. If they are going to keep prices so high like $20 for a CD fuck them, they get what they deserve and Tower will go out of business.
Of course there are two sides to this and I don't believe in piracy.
Of course there are two sides to this and I don't believe in piracy.
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mccutcheon
- New York Scribbler
- Posts: 4996
- Joined: Tue Oct 03, 2000 8:01 am
- Location: NYC
- Contact: