Rene Magritte: Now You See It-Now You Don't - Softcover

Wenzel, Angela

Softcover

ISBN 10: 379131873X ISBN 13: 9783791318738

Publisher: Prestel Pub, 2005

Synopsis

In his mysterious paintings, Rene Magritte shows us how to see normal things in a different way. Heavy stones become light and float in the sky like clouds, a country scene shatters into lots of different pieces and a steam train chugs out of a fireplace.

About this title

Review:

The books in Prestel's Adventures in Art series do a wonderful job of balancing respect for art with an understanding of what holds a young child's interest. Now You See It--Now You Don't is filled with excellent reproductions of the paintings of René Magritte, carefully printed in color, with a lot of white space around each one. Designed with confidence in a child's ability to find the paintings fascinating, the layout is calm, and the text is full of fun. "What a horrible meal!" reads the caption over the famous image of the plate of ham with a human eye staring out from the middle of the meat. Throughout the book such comments are written in the same proper, school-board script Magritte himself used to caption such pictures as "This is not a pipe" (which depicts--of course--a pipe). Of a painting of six everyday objects with wonky captions (such as an empty glass labeled "the storm,") titled The Key to Dreams, readers are asked, "What do you think this picture could be called?" The book reproduces many old, black-and-white, surrealist snapshots, and even introduces Man Ray to the reader. This is the sort of multifaceted book that should enthrall the parent as well as the preschooler, and probably everyone in between. --Peggy Moorman

From the Publisher:

'Adventures in Art' is a bright and exciting series that opens up the world of art to children of all ages. It tantalizes and inspires, stimulating enjoyment and seeking answers about the 'story' behind the picture.

About this edition

• Publisher: Prestel Pub
• Publication date: 2005
• ISBN 10: 379131873X
• ISBN 13: 9783791318738
• Binding: Paperback