La máquina Magritte

Abstract

"The title, The Magritte Machine, indicates the unsystematic but methodical character of the Belgian painter's work. The numer ous replicas and variants in Magritte's work were not only a commercial resource, but, as he put it, a way of 'making the mystery more precise, of having it better'. The artist himself recognized that his central procedure consisted in generating variations and combinations from a reduced number of motifs. All of Magritte's work is a reflection on painting itself, a reflection that the artist addresses with paradox as a tool. The metapictorial concern is broken down into different aspects that make up the exhibition and that are reflected in this accompanying publication: the figure of the artist ('The powers of the magician'), the dialectic of textual and figurative signs ('Image and word') , the game with silhouettes, inspired by collage ('Figure and background'), the painting within the painting ('Table and window'), the enigmas of the suppressed and recovered face ('Face and mask'), camouflage and concealment of objects ('Mimicry') and the reappearance of said objects, more visible than ever ('Megalomania'). The first retrospective of Magritte's work in Spain took place in 1989, organized by the Juan March Foundation, and since then we have not had the opportunity to see an exhibition of the great Belgian painter in our country. The Thyssen-Bornemisza National Museum, which houses an important painting by Magritte, The Key to the Fields, began five years ago, in collaboration with the 'La Caixa' Foundation, the project that, after suffering several delays, now finally reaches its completion. ... Co-edited by Ludion, Fundación Colección Thyssen-Bornemisza and Fundación 'la Caixa'"--Provided by publisher.