Among the Groves of Light (Plate 5), 1966

"Among the Groves of Light (Plate 5)" is an etching created by René Magritte in 1966 for his series "Aube A l’antipode". From the edition of 32, the artwork is signed 'Magritte' lower right and annotated lower left. The artwork is framed in a custom silver closed-corner frame and has a framed size of 17.5 x 15.5". The artwork ships framed and accompanied by a certificate of authenticity.

The artist book known as "Dawn at the Antipode (Aube a l’antipode)" was a collaboration between the revered French poet Alain Jouffroy and the great 20th Century surrealist, Rene Magritte. Jouffroy was a French writer, poet, and artist. He was an early advocate of an Art Strike and formed the "L’Union des Escrivains" during the strikes of May 1968 in France with Jean-Pierre Faye. He was also a major influence on the Zanzibar Group—part of the French New Wave who took part in the Paris demonstrations at that time.

The seven etchings chosen for the book by Magritte recall Magritte’s most iconic imagery. Each was created as an etching from an original pen and ink drawing by the artist. The book as an object came to fruition through the famed surrealist publisher of art-object books, François Di Dio of the "Le Soleil Noir" publishing house. Di Dio typically produced a book as an object in a small edition of less than one hundred as the ‘A’ edition, with second ‘B’ and third ‘C’ editions of less artistry (the C edition was typically a widely printed ‘pocket’ book). The first edition of Dawn at the Antipode numbers to about ninety-two with some artist proofs also known. These were created in the object tradition with a clamshell hidden compartment concealing a metal ‘Magritte’ bell or rattle. The outer cover of the book has cutouts including a bird, a wine glass, a leaf, and a pipe. Magritte signed and numbered the inner compartment holding the bell in each book.

The prints offered here are from the rare edition of the book, number 11, which included a full set of the seven etchings on large-format paper, all hand-signed and numbered by Magritte. Only the first 17 of 77 copies of the book have all seven hand-signed etchings on large-format paper. The remainder came with just two of the signed etchings per book. There were also artist proofs of the book including fifteen lettered A to O.

In "Among the Groves of Light," Magritte presents a sparse yet arresting landscape: two rocks set against an open sky, where soft clouds drift behind their imposing forms. The larger rock dominates the composition—towering, curved, and almost architectural in presence, its mass rising like a haystack or monolithic structure that fills the visual field. In front of it stands a second, significantly smaller rock, positioned with quiet deliberation, carrying an uncanny resemblance to a door.

At first glance, the scene appears grounded in nature, yet its construction quickly reveals something more deliberate and disquieting. The exaggerated scale of the larger rock destabilizes the landscape, transforming it from a believable setting into something staged, almost theatrical. The smaller rock, placed directly before it, introduces a sense of threshold—a suggestion of entry or passage that feels both inviting and impossible.

The title, "Among the Groves of Light," adds a poetic counterpoint to the stark simplicity of the forms. There are no groves in the literal sense, no visible source of illumination beyond the ambient sky. Instead, “light” becomes conceptual—an idea tied to perception, revelation, or even clarity. The rocks, then, are not merely geological forms, but structures of thought, standing in a space where meaning is both offered and withheld.

In this restrained yet powerful composition, Magritte transforms the landscape into a meditation on scale, access, and perception. The monumental and the modest exist in quiet dialogue, while the suggestion of a doorway lingers as an unresolved question. As with the finest of his works, the image remains poised between clarity and enigma, an invitation to look, and to continue looking, without ever fully arriving.