The Artist's Materials: René Magritte

In accordance with the general topic of GCI series, this book stemming from the research project Magritte on practice (MOP), focuses on the material and technical aspects of René Magritte’s painted production. MOP (2016-2018) has consisted of the physical and chemical analysis of an extended corpus of Magritte’s paintings from the Magritte Museum of Brussels, which currently houses the most important compilation of the Magritte’s works in the world. In that respect, 50 oil paintings and 10 gouaches, completed by the artist between 1920 and 1967, have been analyzed in situ, through non-invasive imaging and analytical techniques, namely hyperspectral imaging, IR-reflectography, X-ray radiography, high-resolution photography, Raman spectroscopy, Fourier-Transform Infra-Red spectroscopy in reflectance mode, digital and optical microscopy and X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy in scanning mode. This serial and multi-analytical study sought to address multiple issues; the evolution of Magritte’ studio practice through time, the discovery of underlying compositions and the understanding of the speckles syndrome that affect some of his early surrealist oil paintings. The present book releases the significant outcomes gained in these regards.
Studio practice
The systematic application of the same analytical protocol on 60 paintings that cover the whole Magritte’s career has allowed attaining a comprehensive overview of the painter’s habits and preferences from a practical point of view. While the imaging techniques have helped to reconstruct the making process of the studied works from the preparatory drawing to varnishing, passing through the paint layers implementation; the analytical methods have revealed the important changes occurred on Magritte’s palette over the years.
Discovery of lost compositions
In total 6 underlying compositions, among which are the last missing quarter of La pose enchantée (1927) and the missing feet part from L’évidence éternelle (1954), have been discovered within the studied corpus. Thanks to the multi-analytical approach, the date, the subject, the style and the palette related to the hidden pictures have been disclosed in almost every case. Additionally, the in-depth study of those “double paintings” has permitted exploring how Magritte transformed an old image into a new one, and has revealed that the visible images often exhibit reminiscent features of the overpainted compositions.
Speckles syndrome
The corpus incorporates 6 early surrealist oil paintings with similar visually disturbing networks of dark speckle-like stains on their overall surface, referred in the book as speckles syndrome. By highlighting the common denominators between the affected pictures, it has been possible to clearly identify the degradation process, the compounds and the environmental factors at the origin of the speckles syndrome.