MAGRITTE RENÉ: (1898-1967) Belgian Surrealist Painter. An exceptional artistic and philosophical essay written by ...

MAGRITTE RENÉ: (1898-1967) Belgian Surrealist Painter. An exceptional artistic and philosophical essay written by Magritte only
MAGRITTE RENÉ: (1898-1967) Belgian Surrealist Painter. An exceptional artistic and philosophical essay written by Magritte only three months before his death. A.L.S., `René Magritte´, one page, 4to, n.p., May 1967, in French. A very important and detailed statement by Magritte on his understanding of Art and his own mission as artist, stating in part `Je conçois la peinture comme art de juxtaposer des couleurs de tlle sorte que leur aspect effectif s´efface et laisse apparaitre une image où sont unies - dans un ordre  poétique - des figures familieres du visible: ciels, personnes, arbres, montagnes, meubles, astres, solides, inscriptions, etc.. La poésie de cette image se passe de significations symboliques anciennes ou nouvelles. L´image poétique ne cache rien: elle ne montre que des figures du visible, puisque la peinture est impropre a représenter l´invisible. L´invisiblee, c´est a dire ce que la lumiere ne peut éclairer, a une valeur inestimable. mais il faudrait la reconnaitre pour désirer rendre visibles, par exemple: le plaisir et la douleur, la connaissance et l´ignorance, la voix et le silence....´ ("I conceive painting as an art of juxtaposing colours in such a way that their appearance fades, and an image is allowed to appear in which familiar figures of the visible are united-in a poetic order-skies, people, trees, mountains, furniture, stars, solids, inscriptions, etc. The poetry of this image consists of symbolic meanings, old or new. The poetic image hides nothing: it only shows figures of the visible, since painting is an unsuitable way of representing the invisible. The invisible, meaning what light cannot reveal, has an inestimable value. But one would have to ignore this value, if one desire to make such things visible, for example: pleasure and pain, knowledge and ignorance, the voice and silence...") Magritte died three months later on 15th August 1967. Accompanied by an unsigned photograph of Magritte, April 1967, an image by Daniel Frasnay for his work "Leur Monde. Peintres et Sculpteurs" ("Their World. Painters and Sculptors"). The present manuscript was written for this book which obtained the award of Best Book at the Francfort fair book. Small remnants of former affixing to the verso and very small overall age wear, otherwise G to VG