Comments on: René Magritte

By: Huma Khan

Huma Khan — Tue, 18 Dec 2007 08:46:32 +0000

hi charlie,
I’m a final year student of fashion design in Pakistan n I’m giving my thesis on surrealism.I really liked your blog n found it interesting and informative.I would really like to contact u through e-mail n get aliitle more info for my topic.It would be really kind of u if u wud like to contact me through my e-mail.
thanx

By: Charley Parker

Charley Parker — Tue, 18 Apr 2006 20:00:38 +0000

Very fun. Thanks.

Those who want to play: spoiler warning in next paragraph (at least partial).

First is Magritte, of course. Many of his images have figures with their faces obscured, supposedly a reference to his traumatic experience at being present when the body of his mother, who committed suicide when he was 13, was recovered from a river, naked except for her nightgown which was covering her face.

The second, I’m drawing a blank on. Man Ray comes to mind but I can’t place a specific reference.

Third is Dalí of course, and the fourth is from Ernst’s Une Semaine de Bonté which I posted about here.

By: peacay

peacay — Tue, 18 Apr 2006 16:30:31 +0000

Well this particular nostaligia is both mine for a book and also an indication that I’m getting old ;)
You can put your revitalized surrealism hat on for a ‘guess the influence game’. More power to you if your french is good.

By: Lubomir

Lubomir — Tue, 18 Apr 2006 14:29:52 +0000

Thank’s for the words Charley!

By: Charley Parker

Charley Parker — Mon, 17 Apr 2006 12:35:53 +0000

It’s odd how something so startling and revolutionary at one time, both publicly and personally, can take on an aura of nostalgia.

By: peacay

peacay — Mon, 17 Apr 2006 12:28:01 +0000

Thanks for the kind (and embellished!) words Charley.

You made me go and rifle through my books -
‘Dada and Surrealism’ by Robert Short 1980 from Octopus Books Ltd.

It’s probably a few years since I opened it last but I know every image on all 150+ pages like it was an hour ago. A very well-loved book in remarkably excellent condition considering the hours I spent thumbing through it. (And now another half hour in it!)

By: Charley Parker

Charley Parker — Mon, 17 Apr 2006 11:59:18 +0000

Very cool. I still have some of the books I bought on Surrealism and Surrealist painters when I was young, including a wonderful series on Magritte, Dalí, Ernst and others edited by David Larkin and published by Ballentine books. Very nicely done if you can find them in used book venues (of which I’m sure you know a few).

Other readers should be sure to stop by peacay’s excellent and fascinating blog BibliOdyssey, which continues to be a treasure trove of wonderful, obscure, strange and beautiful discoveries of visual material from old and often forgotten books. (I finally got around to adding BibliOdyssey to the lines and colors blogroll.)

By: peacay

peacay — Mon, 17 Apr 2006 07:58:49 +0000

…or even: ‘Thanks Charley..

By: peacay

peacay — Mon, 17 Apr 2006 07:57:38 +0000

Thanks Charlie, great post. I well remember the ‘lightning bolt’ moment of discovering surrealism in my teens. I’ve still got a treasured review book with La Modèle rouge on the dust jacket.

By: Charley Parker

Charley Parker — Sat, 15 Apr 2006 22:33:00 +0000

Lubomir,
Thanks. I’m glad you’re enjoying the posts. I didn’t actually set out to be informative, as much as just pointing to some cool stuff, but I get carried away.

Other readers may want to check out Lubomir’s new blog, which looks to be shaping up as a sketchblog in a somewhat similar vein to that of John Nevarez, who I profiled back in October of last year.