DE CHIRICO: The Metaphysical Period
by Giorgio De Chirico
Category: Art

Giorgio de Chirico (1888-1978) is widely regarded as one of the masters of 20th century art. The originator of Metaphysical Painting, and precursor of the Surrealists, de Chirico was born in Volos, Greece, studied at the Academy of Fine Arts in Munich, and was initially influenced by Bocklin and Klinger. However he soon developed his own distinctive style, producing the first of his 'enigmatic' paintings in Italy around 1910. De Chirico's early works evoked an uneasy atmosphere through their use of strange perspectives, illogical shadows and open spaces, and he developed a theory of 'metaphysical insight' which located familiar objects in essentially mysterious relationships. In de Chirico's oeuvre a naturalistic vision always alternates, like waking and sleeping or dreaming, with another vision presenting abnormal forms and situations. If de Chirico's first period of Metaphysical paintingbetween 1910 and 1918 - remains his most celebrated, and has provided us with some of his most memorable images, it is also true that his later Metaphysical period was also a time of intense creativity and evocative art-making. But this period is his least well known. De Chirico moved on from his baroque and romantic paintings of the Forties and Fifties - works which diminished his standing among a number of art critics - to a 'new' Metaphysical period which related strongly to the rich, early phase of his work. This book is a celebration of that period in de Chirico's career, and evaluates not only his paintings, but also the mythic and symbolic sculptures produced at this time. De Chirico: The New Metaphysics is an essential resource for any reader interested in appreciating de Chirico's uniquecontribution to 20th century art.