PAUL DELVAUX

Description

Beautiful book by Barbara Emerson. Some haunting images. Delvaux foreword in the inner page:

UNDER THE SIGN OF DREAM
I GREET WITH DELIGHT THE PUBLICATION BY FONDS
MERCATOR OF THIS WONDERFUL BOOK.
I HAVE SPENT ALL MY LIFE TRYING TO CHANGE REALITY INTO
DREAMS - DREAMS IN WHICH THE OBJECTS RETAIN THEIR
ACTUAL APPEARANCE, AND YET GAIN A POETIC SIGNIFICANCE.
IN THIS WAY THE PAINTING BECOMES A FICTION IN WHICH
EVERY OBJECT HAS ITS PROPER PLACE.
IT IS MY HOPE THAT ALL WHO READ THIS BOOK WILL SHARE
MY DELIGHT AND DISCOVERY AND WILL EXPERIENCE THAT
SAME POETIC FEELING THAT I HAVE ALWAYS WISHED TO
CREATE IN MY OWN WORK.

PAUL DELVAUX
AUGUST 22, 1985

Barbara Emerson’s Paul Delvaux (ISBN 9061531411) is a beautifully produced monograph devoted to one of the most distinctive and enigmatic painters associated with Surrealism. The book is widely appreciated for balancing visual richness with clear, thoughtful scholarship, making it suitable both for general readers and for those with a deeper interest in 20th-century art.

Emerson presents Delvaux’s work in a way that highlights its quiet mystery rather than forcing it into rigid theoretical frameworks. She explores his recurring motifs—classical architecture, deserted cityscapes, trains, skeletons, and above all the sleepwalking female figures that populate his paintings—showing how they create a dreamlike world that feels timeless, distant, and strangely intimate.

The book also places Delvaux within his biographical and cultural context. Emerson discusses his early artistic struggles, his discovery of metaphysical painting and Surrealism, and his lifelong fascination with antiquity, literature, and music. Rather than presenting him simply as a Surrealist, she emphasizes his independence and the deeply personal nature of his visual language.

A major strength of the volume is its high-quality reproductions. The images allow readers to appreciate Delvaux’s precise draftsmanship, luminous color, and carefully staged compositions. Emerson’s accompanying text guides the viewer without overexplaining, encouraging slow looking and reflection—an approach that mirrors the contemplative mood of Delvaux’s paintings themselves.

Overall, Paul Delvaux by Barbara Emerson is often regarded as a refined and sensitive introduction to the artist’s work. For a personal or curatorial-style web page, it can be described as a book that captures both the visual beauty and the poetic silence of Delvaux’s art, offering readers an invitation into one of the most haunting imaginary worlds of modern painting.

Images © Estate of Paul Delvaux. All Rights Reserved.

5 STARS OUT OF FIVE