Giuseppe Maria Alberto Giorgio de Chirico ( ; ; 10 July 1888 – 20 November 1978) was an Italian artist and writer born in Greece. In the years before

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, he founded the art movement, which profoundly influenced the

surrealists Surrealism is an art and cultural movement that developed in Europe in the aftermath of World War I in which artists aimed to allow the unconscious mind to express itself, often resulting in the depiction of illogical or dreamlike scenes and id ...

. His best-known works often feature Roman arcades, long shadows,

mannequin A mannequin (sometimes spelled as manikin and also called a dummy, lay figure, or dress form) is a doll, often articulated, used by artists, tailors, dressmakers, window dressers and others, especially to display or fit clothing and show off dif ...

s, trains, and illogical perspective. His imagery reflects his affinity for the philosophy of

Arthur Schopenhauer Arthur Schopenhauer ( ; ; 22 February 1788 – 21 September 1860) was a German philosopher. He is known for his 1818 work ''The World as Will and Representation'' (expanded in 1844), which characterizes the Phenomenon, phenomenal world as ...

and of

Friedrich Nietzsche Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche (15 October 1844 – 25 August 1900) was a German philosopher. He began his career as a classical philology, classical philologist, turning to philosophy early in his academic career. In 1869, aged 24, Nietzsche bec ...

, and for the mythology of his birthplace. After 1919, he became a critic of modern art, studied traditional painting techniques, and later worked in a neoclassical or neo-

Baroque The Baroque ( , , ) is a Western Style (visual arts), style of Baroque architecture, architecture, Baroque music, music, Baroque dance, dance, Baroque painting, painting, Baroque sculpture, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished from ...

style, while frequently revisiting the metaphysical themes of his earlier work. In 2018 it was suggested that de Chirico may have suffered from

Alice in Wonderland syndrome Alice in Wonderland Syndrome (AIWS), also known as Todd's Syndrome or Dysmetropsia, is a neurological disorder that distorts perception. People with this syndrome may experience distortions in their visual perception of objects, such as appear ...

Life and works

Giuseppe Maria Alberto Giorgio de Chirico was born in

Volos Volos (; ) is a coastal port city in Thessaly situated midway on the Greek mainland, about north of Athens and south of Thessaloniki. It is the capital of the Magnesia (regional unit), Magnesia regional unit of the Thessaly Region. Volos ...

, Greece, as the eldest son of Gemma Cervetto and Evaristo de Chirico. His mother was a Genoese

baroness Baron is a rank of nobility or title of honour, often hereditary, in various European countries, either current or historical. The female equivalent is baroness. Typically, the title denotes an aristocrat who ranks higher than a lord or knight ...

Greek Greek may refer to: Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor of all kno ...

origins from

Smyrna Smyrna ( ; , or ) was an Ancient Greece, Ancient Greek city located at a strategic point on the Aegean Sea, Aegean coast of Anatolia, Turkey. Due to its advantageous port conditions, its ease of defence, and its good inland connections, Smyrna ...

, and his father a Sicilian ''

baron Baron is a rank of nobility or title of honour, often Hereditary title, hereditary, in various European countries, either current or historical. The female equivalent is baroness. Typically, the title denotes an aristocrat who ranks higher than ...

e'' of

ancestry (the Kyriko or Chirico family was of Greek origin, having moved from

Rhodes Rhodes (; ) is the largest of the Dodecanese islands of Greece and is their historical capital; it is the List of islands in the Mediterranean#By area, ninth largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. Administratively, the island forms a separ ...

Palermo Palermo ( ; ; , locally also or ) is a city in southern Italy, the capital (political), capital of both the autonomous area, autonomous region of Sicily and the Metropolitan City of Palermo, the city's surrounding metropolitan province. The ...

in 1523 together with 4,000 other

Greek Catholic Greek Catholic Church or Byzantine-Catholic Church may refer to: * The Catholic Church in Greece * The Eastern Catholic Churches The Eastern Catholic Churches or Oriental Catholic Churches, also known as the Eastern-Rite Catholic Churches, Ea ...

families).Nikolaos Velissiotis
"The Origins of Adelaide Mabili and Her Marriage to Giorgio De Chirico: Restoration of the Historical Truth"
, ''Metaphysical Art'', 2013, N° 11/13. De Chirico's family was in Greece at the time of his birth because his father, an engineer, was in charge of the construction of railroad projects, including the

Pelion railway Pelion railway is a narrow gauge railway line of Thessaly Railways private-owned company in Greece, connecting the city of Volos with the town of Mileai on Pelion. History After Thessaly Railways completed the construction of the lines from ...

. His younger brother, Andrea Francesco Alberto, became a famous writer, painter and composer under the pseudonym Alberto Savinio. Beginning in 1900, de Chirico studied drawing and painting at Athens Polytechnic—mainly under the guidance of the Greek painters Georgios Roilos and

Georgios Jakobides Georgios Jakobides (Greek: Γεώργιος Ιακωβίδης; 11 January 1853 – 13 December 1932) was a Greek painter and medallist, one of the main representatives of the Greek artistic movement of the Munich School. He founded and was the ...

. After Evaristo de Chirico's death in 1905, the family relocated in 1906 to Germany, after first visiting

Florence Florence ( ; ) is the capital city of the Italy, Italian region of Tuscany. It is also the most populated city in Tuscany, with 362,353 inhabitants, and 989,460 in Metropolitan City of Florence, its metropolitan province as of 2025. Florence ...

.Gale, Matthew (2003, January 01). "De Chirico, Giorgio". Grove Art Online. Ed. De Chirico entered the Academy of Fine Arts in

Munich Munich is the capital and most populous city of Bavaria, Germany. As of 30 November 2024, its population was 1,604,384, making it the third-largest city in Germany after Berlin and Hamburg. Munich is the largest city in Germany that is no ...

, where he studied under Gabriel von Hackl and Carl von Marr and read the writings of the philosophers

and

Otto Weininger Otto Weininger (; 3 April 1880 – 4 October 1903) was an Austrian philosopher who in 1903 published the book ''Geschlecht und Charakter'' (''Sex and Character''), which gained popularity after his suicide at the age of 23. Weininger had a stron ...

. There, he also studied the works of

Arnold Böcklin Arnold Böcklin (16 October 182716 January 1901) was a Swiss Symbolism (arts), Symbolist Painting, painter. His five versions of the ''Isle of the Dead (painting), Isle of the Dead'' inspired works by several late-Romantic composers. Biography ...

and

Max Klinger Max Klinger (18 February 1857 – 5 July 1920) was a German artist who produced significant work in painting, sculpture, prints and graphics, as well as writing a treatise articulating his ideas on art and the role of graphic arts and printmakin ...

.see the entry on de Chirico in "Propyläen Kunstgeschichte, Die Kunst des 20. Jahrhunderts 1880–1940", by Giulio Carlo Argan, 1990, p. 201, The style of his earliest paintings, such as ''The Dying Centaur'' (1909), shows the influence of Böcklin.

Metaphysical art

De Chirico returned to Italy in the summer of 1909 and spent six months in Milan. By 1910, he was beginning to paint in a simpler style with flat, anonymous surfaces. At the beginning of 1910, he moved to Florence where he painted the first of his 'Metaphysical Town Square' series, ''The Enigma of an Autumn Afternoon'', after the revelation he felt in

Piazza Santa Croce Piazza Santa Croce is one of the main plazas or squares located in the central neighbourhood of Florence, in the region of Tuscany, Italy. It is located near Piazza della Signoria and the National Central Library, and takes its name from the B ...

. He also painted ''The Enigma of the Oracle'' while in Florence. In July 1911 he spent a few days in Turin on his way to Paris. De Chirico was profoundly moved by what he called the 'metaphysical aspect' of

Turin Turin ( , ; ; , then ) is a city and an important business and cultural centre in northern Italy. It is the capital city of Piedmont and of the Metropolitan City of Turin, and was the first Italian capital from 1861 to 1865. The city is main ...

, especially the architecture of its archways and piazzas. The paintings de Chirico produced between 1909 and 1919, his metaphysical period, are characterized by haunted, brooding moods evoked by their images. At the start of this period, his subjects were motionless cityscapes inspired by the bright daylight of Mediterranean cities, but gradually he turned his attention to studies of cluttered storerooms, sometimes inhabited by

-like hybrid figures. De Chirico's conception of Metaphysical art was strongly influenced by his reading of Nietzsche, whose style of writing fascinated de Chirico with its suggestions of unseen auguries beneath the appearance of things. De Chirico found inspiration in the unexpected sensations that familiar places or things sometimes produced in him: In a manuscript of 1909 he wrote of the "host of strange, unknown and solitary things that can be translated into painting ... What is required above all is a pronounced sensitivity." Metaphysical art combined everyday reality with mythology, and evoked inexplicable moods of nostalgia, tense expectation, and estrangement. The picture space often featured illogical, contradictory, and drastically receding perspectives. Among de Chirico's most frequent motifs were arcades, of which he wrote: "The Roman arcade is fate ... its voice speaks in riddles which are filled with a peculiarly Roman poetry". De Chirico moved to Paris in July 1911, where he joined his brother Andrea. Through his brother he met Pierre Laprade, a member of the jury at the Salon d'Automne, where he exhibited three of his works: ''Enigma of the Oracle'', ''Enigma of an Afternoon'' and ''Self-Portrait''. During 1913 he exhibited paintings at the

Salon des Indépendants Salon may refer to: Common meanings * Beauty salon, a venue for cosmetic treatments * French term for a drawing room A drawing room is a room in a house where visitors may be entertained, and an alternative name for a living room. The name i ...

and Salon d'Automne; his work was noticed by

Pablo Picasso Pablo Diego José Francisco de Paula Juan Nepomuceno María de los Remedios Cipriano de la Santísima Trinidad Ruiz y Picasso (25 October 1881 – 8 April 1973) was a Spanish painter, sculptor, printmaker, Ceramic art, ceramicist, and Scenic ...

and

Guillaume Apollinaire Guillaume Apollinaire (; ; born Kostrowicki; 26 August 1880 – 9 November 1918) was a French poet, playwright, short story writer, novelist and art critic of Poland, Polish descent. Apollinaire is considered one of the foremost poets of the ...

, and he sold his first painting, ''The Red Tower''. His time in Paris also resulted in the production of de Chirico's ''Ariadne''. In 1914, through Apollinaire, he met the art dealer

Paul Guillaume Paul Guillaume (; 1891 in Paris – 1934 in Paris) was a French art dealer. Dealer of Chaïm Soutine and Amedeo Modigliani, he was one of the first to organize African art exhibitions. He also bought and sold many works from cutting-edge artists ...

, with whom he signed a contract for his artistic output. At the outbreak of World War I, he returned to Italy. Upon his arrival in May 1915, he enlisted in the army, but he was considered unfit for work and assigned to the hospital at Ferrara. The shop windows of that town inspired a series of paintings that feature biscuits, maps, and geometric constructions in indoor settings. In Ferrara he met with

Carlo Carrà Carlo Carrà (; February 11, 1881 – April 13, 1966) was an Italian painter and a leading figure of the Futurist movement that flourished in Italy during the beginning of the 20th century. In addition to his many paintings, he wrote a number ...

and together they founded the pittura metafisica movement. He continued to paint, and in 1918, he transferred to Rome. Starting from 1918, his work was exhibited extensively in Europe.

Return to order

In November 1919, de Chirico published an article in '' Valori plastici'' entitled "The Return of Craftsmanship", in which he advocated a return to traditional methods and iconography. This article heralded an abrupt change in his artistic orientation, as he adopted a classicizing manner inspired by such old masters as

Raphael Raffaello Sanzio da Urbino (; March 28 or April 6, 1483April 6, 1520), now generally known in English as Raphael ( , ), was an Italian painter and architect of the High Renaissance. List of paintings by Raphael, His work is admired for its cl ...

and Signorelli, and became part of the post-war

return to order The Return to Order ( French: ''retour à l'ordre'') was a European art movement following the First World War that rejected the extreme avant-garde art of the years up to 1918 and emphasized the classical ideals of order and rationality. The movem ...

in the arts. He became an outspoken opponent of

modern art Modern art includes artistic work produced during the period extending roughly from the 1860s to the 1970s, and denotes the styles and philosophies of the art produced during that era. The term is usually associated with art in which the tradit ...

. In the early 1920s, the Surrealist writer

André Breton André Robert Breton (; ; 19 February 1896 – 28 September 1966) was a French writer and poet, the co-founder, leader, and principal theorist of surrealism. His writings include the first ''Surrealist Manifesto'' (''Manifeste du surréalisme'') ...

discovered one of de Chirico's metaphysical paintings on display in Guillaume's Paris gallery, and was enthralled. Numerous young artists who were similarly affected by de Chirico's imagery became the core of the Paris Surrealist group centered around Breton. In 1924 de Chirico visited Paris and was accepted into the group, although the surrealists were severely critical of his post-metaphysical work. De Chirico met and married his first wife, the Russian ballerina Raissa Gurievich (1894-1979) in 1925, and together they moved to Paris.Holzhey 2005, p. 94. His relationship with the Surrealists grew increasingly contentious, as they publicly disparaged his new work; by 1926 he had come to regard them as "cretinous and hostile". They soon parted ways in acrimony. In 1928 he held his first exhibition in New York City and shortly afterwards, London. He wrote essays on art and other subjects, and in 1929 published a novel entitled ''Hebdomeros, the Metaphysician''. Also in 1929, he made stage designs for

Sergei Diaghilev Sergei Pavlovich Diaghilev ( ; rus, Серге́й Па́влович Дя́гилев, , sʲɪrˈɡʲej ˈpavləvʲɪdʑ ˈdʲæɡʲɪlʲɪf; 19 August 1929), also known as Serge Diaghilev, was a Russian art critic, patron, ballet impresario an ...

Later work

In 1930, de Chirico met his second wife, Isabella Pakszwer Far (1909–1990), a Russian, with whom he would remain for the rest of his life. Together they moved to Italy in 1932 and to the US in 1936, finally settling in Rome in 1944. In 1948 he bought a house near the

Spanish Steps The Spanish Steps () in Rome, Italy, climb a steep slope between Piazza di Spagna at the base and Piazza Trinità dei Monti, dominated by the Trinità dei Monti church, at the top. The monumental stairway of 135 steps is linked with the Trinit� ...

; now the Giorgio de Chirico House Museum, a museum dedicated to his work. In 1939, he adopted a neo-

style influenced by

Rubens Sir Peter Paul Rubens ( ; ; 28 June 1577 – 30 May 1640) was a Flemish artist and diplomat. He is considered the most influential artist of the Flemish Baroque tradition. Rubens' highly charged compositions reference erudite aspects of clas ...

. This artistic phase, which lasted until the late 60s, is sometimes referred to as the 'Baroque season'. During this time, de Chirico draws inspiration from artists such as

Tintoretto Jacopo Robusti (late September or early October 1518Bernari and de Vecchi 1970, p. 83.31 May 1594), best known as Tintoretto ( ; , ), was an Italian Renaissance painter of the Venetian school. His contemporaries both admired and criticized th ...

, Dürer,

, Delacroix and

Renoir Pierre-Auguste Renoir (; ; 25 February 1841 – 3 December 1919) was a French artist who was a leading painter in the development of the Impressionist style. As a celebrator of beauty and especially feminine sensuality, it has been said that ...

. The artist, far from willing to achieve

realism Realism, Realistic, or Realists may refer to: In the arts *Realism (arts), the general attempt to depict subjects truthfully in different forms of the arts Arts movements related to realism include: *American Realism *Classical Realism *Liter ...

in his paintings, strives to create images charged with myths and visions, for an art that is still literally "metaphysical", beyond reality. During these years, De Chirico also studied and rediscovered the painting techniques adopted by old masters, such as Titian: "So I started doing copies of the old masters. In Rome... in Florence... and then I also got interested in their techniques, I consulted numerous treatises on painting, both ancient and modern." De Chirico's later paintings never received the same critical praise as did those from his metaphysical period. He resented this, as he thought his later work was better and more mature. He nevertheless produced backdated "self-forgeries" both to profit from his earlier success, and as an act of revenge—retribution for the critical preference for his early work. He also denounced many paintings attributed to him in public and private collections as forgeries. In 1945, he published his memoirs. He remained extremely prolific even as he approached his 90th year. During the 1960s,

Massimiliano Fuksas Massimiliano Fuksas (born January 9, 1944) is an Italian architect. He is the head of ''Studio Fuksas'' in partnership with his wife, Doriana Mandrelli Fuksas, with offices in Rome, Paris and Shenzhen. Biography Fuksas was born in Rome in 194 ...

worked in his atelier. In 1974 de Chirico was elected to the French Académie des Beaux-Arts. He died in Rome on 20 November 1978. In 1992 his remains were moved to the Roman church of

San Francesco a Ripa San Francesco a Ripa is a church in Rome, Italy. It is dedicated to Francis of Assisi who once stayed at the adjacent convent. The term ''Ripa'' refers to the nearby riverbank of the Tiber. History The origins of this church are related to a Fr ...

Style

De Chirico's best-known works are the paintings of his metaphysical period. In them he developed a repertoire of motifs—empty arcades, towers, elongated shadows, mannequins, and trains among others—that he arranged to create "images of forlornness and emptiness" that paradoxically also convey a feeling of "power and freedom". According to Sanford Schwartz, de Chirico—whose father was a railroad engineer—painted images that suggest "the way you take in buildings and vistas from the perspective of a train window. His towers, walls, and plazas seem to flash by, and you are made to feel the power that comes from seeing things that way: you feel you know them more intimately than the people do who live with them day by day." In 1982, Robert Hughes wrote that de Chirico In this, he resembles his more representational American contemporary,

Edward Hopper Edward Hopper (July 22, 1882 – May 15, 1967) was an American realism painter and printmaker. He is one of America's most renowned artists and known for his skill in depicting modern American life and landscapes. Born in Nyack, New York, to a ...

: their pictures' low sunlight, their deep and often irrational shadows, their empty walkways and portentous silences creating an enigmatic visual poetry.

Legacy

De Chirico won praise for his work almost immediately from the writer

, who helped to introduce his work to the later Surrealists. De Chirico strongly influenced the Surrealist movement:

Yves Tanguy Raymond Georges Yves Tanguy (January 5, 1900 - January 15, 1955), known as just Yves Tanguy (; ), was a French Surrealist painter. Biography Tanguy was the son of a retired navy captain, and was born January 5, 1900, at the Ministry of Naval Aff ...

wrote how one day in 1922 he saw one of de Chirico's paintings in an art dealer's window, and was so impressed by it he resolved on the spot to become an artist—although he had never even held a brush. Other Surrealists who acknowledged de Chirico's influence include

Max Ernst Max Ernst (; 2 April 1891 – 1 April 1976) was a German-born painter, sculptor, printmaker, graphic artist, and poet. A prolific artist, Ernst was a primary pioneer of the Dada movement and surrealism in Europe. He had no formal artistic trai ...

Salvador Dalí Salvador Domingo Felipe Jacinto Dalí i Domènech, Marquess of Dalí of Púbol (11 May 190423 January 1989), known as Salvador Dalí ( ; ; ), was a Spanish Surrealism, surrealist artist renowned for his technical skill, precise draftsmanship, ...

, and

René Magritte René François Ghislain Magritte (; 21 November 1898 – 15 August 1967) was a Belgium, Belgian surrealist artist known for his depictions of familiar objects in unfamiliar, unexpected contexts, which often provoked questions about the nature ...

, who described his first sighting of de Chirico's ''The Song of Love'' as "one of the most moving moments of my life: my eyes ''saw'' thought for the first time." Other artists as diverse as

Giorgio Morandi Giorgio Morandi (July 20, 1890 – June 18, 1964) was an Italian painter and printmaker widely known for his subtly muted still-life paintings of ceramic vessels, flowers, and landscapes—their quiet, meditative quality reflecting the artist's ...

Paul Delvaux Paul Delvaux (; 23 September 1897 – 20 July 1994) was a Belgian painter noted for his dream-like scenes of women, classical architecture, trains and train stations, and skeletons, often in combination. He is often considered a surrealist, alt ...

, Carel Willink, Harue Koga,

Philip Guston Philip Guston (born Phillip Goldstein, June 27, 1913 – June 7, 1980) was a Canadian American painter, printmaker, muralist and draftsman. "Guston worked in a number of artistic modes, from Renaissance-inspired figuration to formally accomplis ...

Andy Warhol Andy Warhol (;''Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary''"Warhol" born Andrew Warhola Jr.; August 6, 1928 – February 22, 1987) was an American visual artist, film director and producer. A leading figure in the pop art movement, Warhol ...

and

Mark Kostabi Kalev Mark Kostabi (born November 27, 1960) is an American painter, sculptor and composer. Early life Kostabi was born in Los Angeles on November 27, 1960, to Estonian immigrants Kaljo and Rita Kostabi. He was raised in Whittier, California and ...

were influenced by de Chirico. De Chirico's style has influenced several filmmakers, particularly in the 1950s through 1970s. The visual style of the French animated film ''

Le Roi et l'oiseau ''The King and the Mockingbird'' (, ) is a traditionally-animated fantasy film directed by Paul Grimault. Prior to 2013, it was released in English as ''The King and Mister Bird''. Begun in 1948 as ''La Bergère et le Ramoneur'' ( "The shepher ...

'', by

Paul Grimault Paul Grimault (; 23 March 1905 – 29 March 1994) was one of the most important French animators. He made many traditionally animated films that were delicate in style, satirical, and lyrical. His most important work is ''Le Roi et l'oiseau'' ...

and

Jacques Prévert Jacques Prévert (; 4 February 1900 – 11 April 1977) was a French poet and screenwriter. His poems became and remain popular in the French-speaking world, particularly in schools. His best-regarded films formed part of the Poetic realism, poetic ...

, was influenced by de Chirico's work, primarily via Tanguy, a friend of Prévert.Quelques propositions d'activités – ''Le roi et l'oiseau''
, Paola Martini et Pascale Ramel, p. 4 The visual style of

Valerio Zurlini Valerio Zurlini (19 March 1926 – 26 October 1982) was an Italian stage and film director and screenwriter. Biography During his law studies in Rome, he started working in the theatre. In 1943, he joined the Italian resistance. Zurlini bec ...

's film ''

The Desert of the Tartars ''The Desert of the Tartars'' () is a 1976 Italian film by director Valerio Zurlini with an international cast including Jacques Perrin, Vittorio Gassman, Max von Sydow, Francisco Rabal, Philippe Noiret, Fernando Rey, and Jean-Louis Trintigna ...

'' (1976) was influenced by de Chirico's work.

Michelangelo Antonioni Michelangelo Antonioni ( ; ; 29 September 1912 – 30 July 2007) was an Italian film director, screenwriter, and editor. He is best known for his "trilogy on modernity and its discontents", ''L'Avventura'' (1960), ''La Notte'' (1961), and '' ...

, the Italian film director, also said he was influenced by de Chirico. Some comparison can be made to the long takes in Antonioni's films from the 1960s, in which the camera continues to linger on desolate cityscapes populated by a few distant figures, or none at all, in the absence of the film's protagonists. In 1958,

Riverside Records Riverside Records was an American jazz record company and label. Founded by Orrin Keepnews and Bill Grauer, Jr, under his firm Bill Grauer Productions in 1953, the label played an important role in the jazz record industry for a decade. Riversid ...

used a reproduction of de Chirico's 1915 painting ''The Seer'' (originally painted as a tribute to French poet

Arthur Rimbaud Jean Nicolas Arthur Rimbaud (, ; ; 20 October 1854 – 10 November 1891) was a French poet known for his transgressive and surreal themes and for his influence on modern literature and arts, prefiguring surrealism. Born in Charleville, he s ...

) as the cover art for pianist

Thelonious Monk Thelonious Sphere Monk ( October 10, 1917 – February 17, 1982) was an American Jazz piano, jazz pianist and composer. He had a unique improvisational style and made numerous contributions to the Jazz standard, standard jazz repertoire, includ ...

's live album '' Misterioso''. The choice was made to capitalize on Monk's popularity with intellectual and bohemian fans from venues such as the

Five Spot Café The Five Spot Café was a jazz club located at 5 Cooper Square (1956–1962) in the Bowery neighborhood of New York City, between the Greenwich Village, East and West Village. In 1962, it moved to 2 St. Marks Place until closing in 1967. Its fr ...

, where the album had been recorded, but Monk biographer

Robin Kelley Robin Davis Gibran Kelley (born March 14, 1962) is an American historian and academic, who is the Gary B. Nash Professor of American History at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). From 2006 to 2011, he was Professor of American Stu ...

later observed deeper connections between the painting and the pianist's music; Rimbaud had "called on the artist to be a seer in order to plumb the depths of the unconscious in the quest for clairvoyance ... The one-eyed figure represented the visionary. The architectural forms and the placement of the chalkboard evoked the unity of art and science—a perfect symbol for an artist whose music has been called 'mathematical.'" Writers who have appreciated de Chirico include

John Ashbery John Lawrence Ashbery (July 28, 1927 – September 3, 2017) was an American poet and art critic. Ashbery is considered the most influential American poet of his time. Oxford University literary critic John Bayley wrote that Ashbery "sounded, in ...

, who has called '' Hebdomeros'' "probably ... the finest ajor work of Surrealist fiction" Several of

Sylvia Plath Sylvia Plath (; October 27, 1932 – February 11, 1963) was an American poet and author. She is credited with advancing the genre of confessional poetry and is best known for '' The Colossus and Other Poems'' (1960), '' Ariel'' (1965), a ...

's poems are influenced by de Chirico. In his book ''Blizzard of One''

Mark Strand Mark Strand (April 11, 1934 – November 29, 2014) was a Canadian-born American poet, essayist and translator. He was appointed Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress in 1990 and received the Wallace Stevens Award in 2004 ...

included a poetic diptych called "Two de Chiricos": "The Philosopher's Conquest" and "The Disquieting Muses". Gabriele Tinti composed three poems inspired by de Chirico's paintings: ''The Nostalgia of the Poet'' (1914), ''The Uncertainty of the Poet'' (1913), and ''Ariadne'' (1913), works in the

Peggy Guggenheim Collection The Peggy Guggenheim Collection is an art museum on the Grand Canal in the Dorsoduro ''sestiere'' of Venice, Italy. It is one of the most visited attractions in Venice. The collection is housed in the Palazzo Venier dei Leoni, an 18th-century ...

, the

Tate Tate is an institution that houses, in a network of four art galleries, the United Kingdom's national collection of British art, and international modern and contemporary art. It is not a government institution, but its main sponsor is the UK ...

, and the

Metropolitan Museum of Art The Metropolitan Museum of Art, colloquially referred to as the Met, is an Encyclopedic museum, encyclopedic art museum in New York City. By floor area, it is the List of largest museums, third-largest museum in the world and the List of larg ...

, respectively. The poems were read by actor

Burt Young Gerald Tommaso DeLouise (April 30, 1940 – October 8, 2023), known professionally as Burt Young, was an American actor. He played Rocky Balboa's brother-in-law and best friend Paulie Pennino in the ''Rocky'' film series, his performance in the f ...

at the Met in 2016. The box art for

Fumito Ueda is a Japanese video game designer, game director and visual artist. Ueda is best known as the director and lead designer of ''Ico'' (2001) and ''Shadow of the Colossus'' (2005) while leading Team Ico at Japan Studio, and ''The Last Guardian'' (20 ...

PlayStation 2 The PlayStation 2 (PS2) is a home video game console developed and marketed by Sony Interactive Entertainment, Sony Computer Entertainment. It was first released in Japan on 4 March 2000, in North America on 26 October, in Europe on 24 Novembe ...

game ''

Ico is a 2001 action-adventure game developed and published by Sony Computer Entertainment for the PlayStation 2. It was designed and directed by Fumito Ueda, who wanted to create a minimalist game based on a "boy meets girl" concept. Originally ...

'' sold in Japan and Europe was strongly influenced by de Chirico. The cover art of New Order's single " Thieves Like Us" is based on de Chirico's painting ''The Evil Genius of a King''. The music video for the

David Bowie David Robert Jones (8 January 194710 January 2016), known as David Bowie ( ), was an English singer, songwriter and actor. Regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century, Bowie was acclaimed by critics and musicians, pa ...

song " Loving the Alien" was partly influenced by de Chirico. Bowie was an admirer of his genderless tailors' dummies. A 2018 study by researchers from the Magna Græcia University, published in '' Frontiers in Neurology'', suggested that de Chirico suffered from

(AIWS), a

neurological disorder Neurological disorders represent a complex array of medical conditions that fundamentally disrupt the functioning of the nervous system. These disorders affect the brain, spinal cord, and nerve networks, presenting unique diagnosis, treatment, and ...

affecting a person's

perception Perception () is the organization, identification, and interpretation of sensory information in order to represent and understand the presented information or environment. All perception involves signals that go through the nervous syste ...

, leading the individual to perceive the sizes of some parts of their body and other objects, in an unreal way, like Alice in

Lewis Carroll Charles Lutwidge Dodgson (27 January 1832 – 14 January 1898), better known by his pen name Lewis Carroll, was an English author, poet, mathematician, photographer and reluctant Anglicanism, Anglican deacon. His most notable works are ''Alice ...

's novel.

Honours

* 1958: Member of the

Royal Academy of Science, Letters and Fine Arts of Belgium The Royal Academy of Science, Letters and Fine Arts of Belgium ( , sometimes referred to as ' ) is the independent learned society of science and arts of the French Community of Belgium. One of Belgium's numerous academies, it is the French-speak ...

. * Académie de France

Selected works

* ''Flight of the Centauri'', ''Enigma of an Autumn Afternoon'' and ''Enigma of the Oracle'' (1909) * ''Ritratto di Andrea de Chirico'' (Alias Alberto Savinio) (1909–1910) * ''The Enigma of the Hour'' (1911) * ''The Nostalgia of the Infinite'' (1911), or 1912–1913 * ''Melanconia'', ''The Enigma of the Arrival'' and ''La Matinée Angoissante'' (1912) * ''The Soothsayers Recompense'', ''The Red Tower'', ''Ariadne'', ''The Awakening of Ariadne'', ''The Uncertainty of the Poet'', ''La Statua Silenziosa'', ''The Anxious Journey'', ''Melancholy of a Beautiful Day'', ''Le Rêve Transformé'', and ''Self-Portrait'' (1913) * ''The Anguish of Departure'' (begun in 1913), ''Portrait of

'', ''The Nostalgia of the Poet'', ''L'Énigme de la fatalité'', ''Gare Montparnasse (The Melancholy of Departure)'', ''The Song of Love'', ''The Enigma of a Day'', ''The Philosopher's Conquest'', ''The Child's Brain'', ''The Philosopher and the Poet'', ''Still Life: Turin in Spring'', ''Piazza d'Italia (Autumn Melancholy)'', and ''Melancholy and Mystery of a Street'' (1914) * ''The Evil Genius of a King'' (begun in 1914), ''The Seer'' (or ''The Prophet''), ''Piazza d'Italia'', ''The Double Dream of Spring'', ''The Purity of a Dream'', ''Two Sisters (The Jewish Angel)'' and ''The Duo'' (1915) * ''Andromache'', ''The Melancholy of Departure'', ''The Disquieting Muses'', ''Metaphysical Interior with Biscuits'' (1916) * ''Metaphysical Interior with Large Factory'' and ''The Faithful Servitor'' (both began in 1916), ''The Great Metaphysician'', ''Ettore e Andromaca'', ''Metaphysical Interior'', ''Geometric Composition with Landscape and Factory'' and ''Great Metaphysical Interior'' (1917) * ''Il grande metafisico'' (''The Grand Metaphysician'') (1917) * ''Metaphysical Muses'' and ''Hermetic Melancholy'' (1918) * ''Still Life with Salami'' and ''The Sacred Fish'' (1919) * ''Self-portrait'' (1920) * ''Italian Piazza'', ''Maschere'' and ''Departure of the Argonauts'' (1921) * ''The Great Tower'' (1921) * ''The Prodigal Son'' (1922) * ''Florentine Still Life'' (c. 1923) * ''The House with the Green Shutters'' (1924) * ''The Great Machine'' (1925) Honolulu Museum of Art * ''Au Bord de la Mer'', ''Le Grand Automate'', ''The Terrible Games'', ''Mannequins on the Seashore'' and ''The Painter'' (1925) * ''La Commedia e la Tragedia'' (''Commedia Romana''), ''The Painter's Family'' and ''Cupboards in a Valley'' (1926) * ''L'Esprit de Domination'', ''The Eventuality of Destiny (Monumental Figures)'', ''Mobili nella valle'' and ''The Archaeologists'' (1927) * ''Temple et Forêt dans la Chambre'' (1928) * ''Gladiatori (began in 1927)'', ''The Archaeologists IV (from the series Metamorphosis)'', ''The return of the Prodigal son I (from the series Metamorphosis)'' and ''Bagnante (Ritratto di Raissa)'' (1929) * ''I fuochi sacri'' (for the ''Calligrammes'') 1929 * Illustrations from the book ''Calligrammes'' by

(1930) * ''I Gladiatori (Combattimento)'' (1931) * ''Milan Cathedral'', 1932 * ''Cavalos a Beira-Mar'' (1932–1933) * ''Cavalli in Riva al Mare'' (1934) * ''La Vasca di Bagni Misteriosi'' (1936) * ''The Vexations of The Thinker'' (1937) * ''Self-portrait'' (1935–1937) * ''Archeologi'' (1940) * Illustrations from the book ''L'Apocalisse'' (1941) * ''Portrait of Clarice Lispector'' (1945) * ''Villa Medici – Temple and Statue'' (1945) * ''Minerva'' (1947) * ''Metaphysical Interior with Workshop'' (1948) * ''Venecia, Puente de Rialto (Giorgio de Chirico), Venecia, Puente de Rialto'' * ''Fiat'' (1950) * ''Piazza d'Italia'' (1952) * ''The Fall – Via Crucis'' (1947–54) * ''Venezia, Isola di San Giorgio'' (1955) * ''Salambò su un cavallo impennato'' (1956) * ''Metaphysical Interior with Biscuits'' (1958) * ''Piazza d'Italia'' (1962) * ''Cornipedes'', (1963) * ''La mia mano sinistra'', (1963), Chianciano Museum of Art * ''Manichino'' (1964) * ''Ettore e Andromaca'' (1966) * ''The Return of Ulysses'', ''Interno Metafisico con Nudo Anatomico'' and ''Mysterious Baths – Flight Toward the Sea'' (1968) * ''Il rimorso di Oreste'', ''La Biga Invincibile'' and ''Solitudine della Gente di Circo'' (1969) * ''Orfeo Trovatore Stanco'', ''Intero Metafisico'' and ''Muse with Broken Column'' (1970) * ''Metaphysical Interior with Setting Sun'' (1971) * ''Sole sul cavalletto'' (1973) * ''Mobili e rocce in una stanza'', ''La Mattina ai Bagni misteriosi'', ''Piazza d'Italia con Statua Equestre'', ''La mattina ai bagni misteriosi'' and ''Ettore e Andromaca'' (1973) * ''Pianto d'amore – Ettore e Andromaca'' and ''The Sailors' Barracks'' (1974)

Writings

* '' Hebdomeros'' (1929) * ''The Memoirs of Giorgio De Chirico'', trans. Margaret Crosland (Da Capo Press 1994) * ''Geometry of Shadows'' (poems), trans. Stefania Heim (Public Space Books 2019)

Films about de Chirico

* ''Aenigma Est'' (1990) – Director: Dimitri Mavrikios; Screenplay: Thomas Moschopoulos, Dimitri Mavrikios * ''Giorgio de Chirico: Argonaut of the Soul'' (2010) – documentary film: Directors and screenplay: Kostas Anestis and George Lagdaris

References

Bibliography * *

External links

Metaphysical Art Archive

Giorgio de Chirico at MoMA
biography and image gallery
Chirico
at fondazionedechirico.org

"Il rapporto tra Giorgio de Chirico e l`Inghilterra"
. Rai Scuola

by Giorgio de Chirico in English translation
"REVOLUTIONARY ABSENCE: Giorgio de Chirico and the early Situationist International" by Ara H. Merjian
from Issue 67 of ''Cabinet Magazine'' (2019-20) {{DEFAULTSORT:Chirico, Giorgio de Giorgio de Chirico, 1888 births 1978 deaths 20th-century Italian painters Academy of Fine Arts, Munich alumni Ballet designers Italian expatriates in Greece Italian male painters 20th-century Greek artists 20th-century Greek painters Greek male painters Members of the Royal Academy of Belgium People from Volos People of Ligurian descent People of Sicilian descent School of Paris Surrealist artists Italian surrealist artists Greek surrealist artists Sibling artists Writers from Volos