MAGRITTE RENE: (1898-1967)

MAGRITTE RENE: (1898-1967)

‘inspiration is always possible – if not present –
whatever happiness or unhappiness is present’

 

MAGRITTE RENE: (1898-1967) Belgian surrealist artist. An excellent A.L.S., Rene, two pages, 8vo, Rue des Mimosas, Brussels, 25^th August 1963, to his cousin, in French. Magritte expresses his regret that he probably didn't explain himself very well in his last letter, explaining that he had thought, on reflection, 'pour obtenir un succes evident (et, helas, toujours incertain lorsqu'il s'agit d'etre apprecie pour le public des expositions et par les soi-disant critiques d'art) il aurait ete souhaitable de remettre ta premiere exposition a plus tard' (Translation: 'to obtain an obvious success (and, alas, always being uncertain when it comes to being appreciated by the public at exhibitions and by the so-called art critics) it would have been desirable to postpone your first exhibition until later') and continuing to comment 'Cela ne met pas en cause la qualite deja remarquable de tes travaux. Mais cela implique que de nouveaux travaux auriant plus de chances encore de rencontrer plus de succes……. a la reflexion j'ai pense qu'il serait souhaitable d'avoir "plus d'atouts dans tou jeu" et je devair je pense, te le dire, ne croyant pas que la date de ton exposition est absolument irrevocable. La preuve de mon interet pour les travaux me semble indiscutable' (Translation: 'This does not call into question the already remarkable quality of your work. But this implies that new works would have even more chances of meeting with more success……on reflection, I thought it would be more desirable to have “more assets in your game” and I should, I thought, tell you, not believing that the date of your exhibition is absolutely irrevocable. The proof of my interest in the works seems to me indisputable'). The artist further writes in philosophical tones, 'Pour ma part, je n'accorde aucune importance aux "consequences", le succes ou l'echecpublic......c'est uniquement de l'authenticite des oeuvres qu'il importe et celle de ton travail n'est pas douteuse pour moi. C'est en raison de cette authenticite, que l'on peut attendre de sa part une maitrise plus grande qu'a present. La partie de ta lettre relative a la joie et a la souffrance, je la comprends, je pense, tres bien. La vie n'est jamais un echec pour les imbeciles. Si tu as retenu ce que j'ai ecrit dans un catalogue, tu dois savoir que je ne confonds pas l'importance des "concourantes" avec celle de la presence d'esprit indispensable a la conception d'une oeuvre d'art: j'ai ecrit "l'inspiration est toujours possible - sinon presente -  quels que solient le bonheur ou le malheur presents"' (Translation: 'For my part, I do not attach any importance to the “consequences”, the success or the public failure……it is only the authenticity of the works that matters and that of your work is not questionable to me. It is because of this authenticity that we can expect greater mastery than at present. The part of your letter relating to joy and suffering, I understand, I think, very well. Life is never a failure for fools. If you have remembered what I wrote in a catalogue, you must know that I do not confuse the importance of “competitors” with that of the presence of mind essential to the design of a work of art: I wrote “inspiration is always possible - if not present - whatever happiness or unhappiness is present”'). A letter of fine content. VG