Magritte : Colour Library (Phaidon Colour Library)

Rating:
Summary: barely scratching the surface
Review: High production value, austere design, and excellent reproduction is what Phaidon books are famous for. While this Colour Library series is not a comprehensive format, this one rarely discusses Magritte's paintings in any interesting critical angle. The author most often than not offer speculations on Magritte's inspirations. And gosh, how many times he has to include "also appears in Varietes." Maybe the Taschen version offers a better combination of text and visuals.

Rating:
Summary: Top Quality Reproductions, Good Value for Money
Review: If you are looking for a book offering lengthy and in-depth discussions about Magritte and his paintings, then this isn't the book for you. If, on the other hand, you are primarily interested in seeing good quality reproductions of a selection of his work, then this is an excellent choice.

Although there is a decent several-page overview of Magritte at the start of the book, the main focus is the 48 full-page reproductions, each accompanied by a brief commentary. These commentaries do not offer much, but I personally am not really interested in someone else's interpretations of an artist's pictures, and Magritte himself said there was no 'required' interpretation for his paintings anyway.

The book was a real 'grower' for me - some of the pictures that I didn't initially like I came to love over time - I feel they can have the power to speak to you very personally, and as a consequence this is a book I keep coming back to.