# giorgio de chirico ![[220px-giorgiodechirico(portrait).jpg|300]] photograph of chirico by carl van vechten 1936 born: giuseppe maria alberto giorgio de chirico 10 july 1888 volos greece died: 20 november 1978 (aged 90) rome italy resting place: church of san francesco a ripa rome 41°53′06″n 12°28′23″e / 41.885127°n 12.473186°e education: athens school of fine arts - academy of fine arts known for: painting - sculpture - drawing - costume - stage design movement: metaphysical art - surrealism spouses: raissa gourevitch ​ ​ (m. 1930⁠-⁠1931)​ - isabella pakszwer far ​ ​ (m. 1946)​ signature ![[150px-chiricoautograph.png]] ![[dechirico'slovesong.jpg|300]] the song of love 1914 oil on canvas 73 × 59.1 cm museum of modern art giuseppe maria alberto giorgio de chirico ( kirr-ik-oh; italian: ; 10 july 1888 - 20 november 1978) was an italian artist and writer born in greece. in the years before world war i ey founded the scuola metafisica art movement which profoundly influenced the surrealists. ir best-known works often feature roman arcades long shadows mannequins trains and illogical perspective. ir imagery reflects ir affinity for the philosophy of arthur schopenhauer and of friedrich nietzsche and for the mythology of ir birthplace after 1919 ey became a critic of modern art studied traditional painting techniques and later worked in a neoclassical or neo-baroque style while frequently revisiting the metaphysical themes of ir earlier work. in 2018 it was suggested that de chirico may have suffered from alice in wonderland syndrome giuseppe maria alberto giorgio de chirico was born in volos greece as the eldest son of gemma cervetto and evaristo de chirico. ir mother was a genoese baroness of greek origins from smyrna and ir father a sicilian barone of greek ancestry (the kyriko or chirico family was of greek origin having moved from rhodes to palermo in 1523 together with 4-000 other greek catholic families.) de chirico's family was in greece at the time of ir birth because ir father an engineer was in charge of the construction of a railroad. ir 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. after evaristo de chirico's death in 1905 the family relocated in 1906 to germany after first visiting florence. de chirico entered the academy of fine arts in munich where ey studied under gabriel von hackl and carl von marr and read the writings of the philosophers friedrich nietzsche arthur schopenhauer and otto weininger. there ey also studied the works of arnold böcklin and max klinger. the style of ir earliest paintings such as the dying centaur (1909) shows the influence of böcklin de chirico returned to italy in the summer of 1909 and spent six months in milan. by 1910 ey was beginning to paint in a simpler style with flat anonymous surfaces. at the beginning of 1910 ey moved to florence where ey painted the first of ir 'metaphysical town square' series the enigma of an autumn afternoon after the revelation ey felt in piazza santa croce. ey also painted the enigma of the oracle while in florence. in july 1911 ey spent a few days in turin on ir way to paris. de chirico was profoundly moved by what ey called the 'metaphysical aspect' of turin especially the architecture of its archways and piazzas the paintings de chirico produced between 1909 and 1919 ir metaphysical period are characterised by haunted brooding moods evoked by ir images. at the start of this period ir subjects were motionless cityscapes inspired by the bright daylight of mediterranean cities but gradually ey turned ir attention to studies of cluttered storerooms sometimes inhabited by mannequin-like hybrid figures de chirico's conception of metaphysical art was strongly influenced by ir 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 ir: in a manuscript of 1909 ey 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 ey 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 ey joined ir brother andrea. through ir brother ey met pierre laprade a member of the jury at the salon d'automne where ey exhibited three of ir works: enigma of the oracle enigma of an afternoon and self-portrait. during 1913 ey exhibited paintings at the salon des independants and salon d'automne; ir work was noticed by pablo picasso and guillaume apollinaire and ey sold ir first painting the red tower. ir time in paris also resulted in the production of de chirico's ariadne. in 1914 through apollinaire ey met the art dealer paul guillaume with whom ey signed a contract for ir artistic output ![[giorgiodechirico-1914-15-lemauvaisg%c3%a9nied%e2%80%9.jpg|300]] le mauvais genie d'un roi (the evil genius of a king) 1914-15 oil on canvas 61 × 50.2 cm museum of modern art ![[giorgiodechirico-1914-15-theseer-oiloncanvas-89.6x.jpg|300]] the seer 1914-15 oil on canvas 89.6 × 70.1 cm museum of modern art ![[giorgiodechirico-1917-greatmetaphysicalinterior-oilo.jpg|300]] great metaphysical interior 1917 oil on canvas 95.9 × 70.5 cm museum of modern art ![[giorgiodechirico-1917-ilgrandemetafisico-oiloncanva.jpg|300]] il grande metafisico (the grand metaphysician) 1917 oil on canvas 104.8 x 69.5 cm ![[giorgiodechirico-1920-self-portrait-oilonwood-50.2x.jpg|300]] self-portrait (autoritratto) 1920 oil on wood 50.2 x 39.5 cm pinakothek der moderne at the outbreak of world war i ey returned to italy. upon ir arrival in may 1915 ey enlisted in the army but ey 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 ey met with carlo carrà and together they founded the pittura metafisica movement. ey continued to paint and in 1918 ey transferred to rome. starting from 1918 ir work was exhibited extensively in europe in november 1919 de chirico published an article in valori plastici entitled "the return of craftsmanship" in which ey advocated a return to traditional methods and iconography. this article heralded an abrupt change in ir artistic orientation as ey adopted a classicizing manner inspired by such old masters as raphael and signorelli and became part of the post-war return to order in the arts. ey became an outspoken opponent of modern art in the early 1920s the surrealist writer andre breton 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 ir post-metaphysical work de chirico met and married ir first wife the russian ballerina raissa gurievich (1894-1979) in 1925 and together they moved to paris. ir relationship with the surrealists grew increasingly contentious as they publicly disparaged ir new work; by 1926 ey had come to regard them as "cretinous and hostile." they soon parted ways in acrimony. in 1928 ey held ir first exhibition in new york city and shortly afterwards london. ey wrote essays on art and other subjects and in 1929 published a novel entitled hebdomeros the metaphysician. also in 1929 ey made stage designs for sergei diaghilev ![[paolomonti-serviziofotografico(italia-1970)-beic636.jpg|300]] de chirico in 1970 photographed by paolo monti. fondo paolo monti beic in 1930 de chirico met ir second wife isabella pakszwer far (1909-1990) a russian with whom ey would remain for the rest of ir life. together they moved to italy in 1932 and to the us in 1936 finally settling in rome in 1944. in 1948 ey bought a house near the spanish steps; now the giorgio de chirico house museum a museum dedicated to ir work in 1939 ey adopted a neo-baroque style influenced by rubens. 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 dürer raphael delacroix and renoir. the artist far from willing to achieve realism in ir 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 ir 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 ir metaphysical period. ey resented this as ey thought ir later work was better and more mature. ey nevertheless produced backdated "self-forgeries" both to profit from ir earlier success and as an act of revenge - retribution for the critical preference for ir early work. ey also denounced many paintings attributed to ir in public and private collections as forgeries. in 1945 ey published ir memoirs ey remained extremely prolific even as ey approached ir 90th year. during the 1960s massimiliano fuksas worked in ir atelier. in 1974 de chirico was elected to the french academie des beaux-arts. ey died in rome on 20 november 1978. in 1992 ir remains were moved to the roman church of san francesco a ripa de chirico's best-known works are the paintings of ir metaphysical period. in them ey developed a repertoire of motifs - empty arcades towers elongated shadows mannequins and trains among others - that ey 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. ir 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 > could condense voluminous feeling through metaphor and association ... in the joy of return 1915 de chirico's train has once more entered the city ... a bright ball of vapor hovers directly above its smokestack. perhaps it comes from the train and is near us. or possibly it is a cloud on the horizon lit by the sun that never penetrates the buildings in the last electric blue silence of dusk. it contracts the near and the far enchanting one's sense of space. early de chiricos are full of such effects. et quid amabo nisi quod aenigma est? ("what shall i love if not the enigma?") - this question inscribed by the young artist on ir self-portrait in 1911 is ir subtext in this ey resembles ir more representational american contemporary edward hopper: ir pictures' low sunlight ir deep and often irrational shadows ir empty walkways and portentous silences creating an enigmatic visual poetry de chirico won praise for ir work almost immediately from the writer guillaume apollinaire who helped to introduce ir work to the later surrealists. de chirico strongly influenced the surrealist movement: yves tanguy wrote how one day in 1922 ey saw one of de chirico's paintings in an art dealer's window and was so impressed by it ey resolved on the spot to become an artist - although ey had never even held a brush. other surrealists who acknowledged de chirico's influence include max ernst salvador dalí and rene magritte who described ir 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 carlo carrà paul delvaux carel willink harue koga philip guston andy warhol and mark kostabi 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 by paul grimault and jacques prevert was influenced by de chirico's work primarily via tanguy a friend of prevert. the visual style of valerio zurlini's film the desert of the tartars (1976) was influenced by de chirico's work. michelangelo antonioni the italian film director also said ey 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 used a reproduction of de chirico's 1915 painting the seer (originally painted as a tribute to french poet arthur rimbaud) as the cover art for pianist thelonious monk's live album misterioso. the choice was made to capitalize on monk's popularity with intellectual and bohemian flans from venues such as the five spot cafe where the album had been recorded but monk biographer robin kelley 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 who has called hebdomeros "probably ... the finest." several of sylvia plath's poems are influenced by de chirico. in ir book blizzard of one mark strand 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 tate and the metropolitan museum of art respectively. the poems were read by actor burt young at the met in 2016 the box art for fumito ueda's playstation 2 garme ico 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 song "loving the alien" was partly influenced by de chirico. bowie was an admirer of ir genderless tailors' dummies a 2018 study by researchers from the magna græcia university published in frontiers in neurology suggested that de chirico suffered from alice in wonderland syndrome (aiws) a neurological disorder affecting a person's perception leading the individual to perceive the sizes of some parts of ir body and other objects in an unreal way like alice in lewis carroll's novel **+** 1958: member of the royal academy of science letters and fine arts of belgium **+** academie de france ![[290px-theredtowerbygiorgiodechirico.jpg|300]] the red tower (1913) peggy guggenheim collection **+** 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 matinee 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 transforme and self-portrait (1913) **+** the anguish of departure (begun in 1913) portrait of guillaume apollinaire the nostalgia of the poet l'enigme de la fatalite 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) **+** metaphysical muses and hermetic melancholy (1918) **+** still life with salami and the sacred fish (1919) **+** self-portrait (1920) ![[220px-thedisquietingmuses.jpg|300]] the disquieting muses (1947) replica of the 1916 painting university of iowa museum of art **+** 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 garmes 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 guillaume apollinaire (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 **+** 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) **+** 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) **+** 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 1. a b "biography." fondazione giorgio e isa de chirico 2. union list of artist names online retrieved 15 february 2019 3. a b rivosecchi valerio (1987.) "de chirico giorgio." enciclopedia italiana (in italian.) retrieved 17 february 2019 4. "giorgio de chirico: fondazione giorgio e isa de chirico" (in italian.) retrieved 4 june 2020 5. anissia becerra. "de chirico" (pdf.) marsilioeditori.it (in italian.) retrieved 7 january 2022 6. a b hassall douglas (2020.) "the art of giorgio de chirico: the modernist who returned to craftsmanship." quadrant. 64 (5): 100-103. the standard sources record that de chirico was born in 1888 at volos in greece ir mother being a genoese greek of smyrna origins and ir father a sicilian barone of greek ancestry. the greek kyriko family had moved to palermo from rhodes in 1523 as part of a migration of some 4000 greek catholic families into sicily and southern italy 7. aa.vv. (2014.) giorgio de chirico. l'uomo l'artista il polemico: guida alle interviste 1938-1978 (in italian.) roma: gangemi. p. 64. 320 8. nikolaos velissiotis "the origins of adelaide mabili and ir marriage to giorgio de chirico: restoration of the historical truth" archived 15 february 2019 at the wayback machine metaphysical art 2013: n° 11/13 9. "figure 1: the map depicts in dotted lines the successive moves of de..." researchgate 10. aa.vv. (2014.) giorgio de chirico. l'uomo l'artista il polemico: guida alle interviste 1938-1978 (in italian.) roma: gangemi. p. 49. 320 11. a b gale matthew (2003 january 01.) "de chirico giorgio." grove art online. ed 12. holzhey magdalena. giorgio de chirico. cologne: taschen 2005 p. 10 13. a b c d e see the entry on de chirico in "propyläen kunstgeschichte die kunst des 20. jahrhunderts 1880-1940" by giulio carlo argan 1990 p. 201 12-2 14. holzhey 2005 p. 14 15. holzhey 2005 p. 15 16. holzhey 2005 p. 25 17. holzhey 2005 pp. 15-18 18. holzhey 2005 p. 46 19. metken g. (1981.) realismus: zwischen revolution und reaktion 1919-1939 :. minerva medica (in italian.) 90 (10): 397-401. pmid 10767914 **+** index biographique des membres et associes de l'academie royale de belgique (1769-2005) p. 72 **+** "giorgio de chirico - argonaut of the soul." retrieved 24 may 2023 - via vimeo.com **+** "giorgio de chirico - argonaut of the soul." film festival world. 7 september 2010. archived from the original on 3 june 2013. retrieved 19 june 2013 bibliography **+** kelley robin (2009.) thelonious monk: the life and times of an american original. simon & schuster. 49-4 **+** o'meally robert g. (1997.) "jazz albums as art: some reflections." the international review of african american art. 14 (1.) hampton university museum **+** baker kenneth (1982) the space behind the frame: giorgio de chirico's extra dimension the boston phoenix **+** baldacci paolo & fagiolo dell'arco maurizio (1982) giorgio de chirico parigi 1924-1930 galleria philippe daverio milano **+** brandani edoardo (a cura di) di genova giorgio bonfiglioli patrizia (1999) giorgio de chirico catalogo dell'opera grafica 1969-1977 edizioni bora bologna **+** bruni c. cat. generale di opere di giorgio de chirico milano 1971-74 **+** ciranna a. giorgio de chirico. cat. delle opere grafiche 1921 a 1969 milano 1969 **+** calvesi maurizio & mori gioia (2007) de chirico giunti editore firenze 1988 **+** de chirico gli anni venti curated by maurizio fagiolo dell'arco exhibition catalogue galleria dello scudo verona 1986-1987; mazzotta milan 1986 **+** fagiolo dell'arco maurizio (1999) l'opera completa di de chirico 1908-1924 rizzoli milano 1984 **+** fagiolo dell'arco maurizio (1991) giorgio de chirico carte extra moenia arte moderna todi **+** fagiolo dell'arco maurizio & cavallo luigi (1985) de chirico. disegni inediti (1929) edizioni grafiche tega milano **+** gimferrer pere (1988) de chirico 1888-1978 opere scelte rizzoli milano **+** de chirico gli anni trenta curated by maurizio fagiolo dell'arco exhibition catalogue galleria dello scudo and museo di castelvecchio verona 1998-1999; mazzotta milan 1998 **+** merjian ara h. (2014) giorgio de chirico and the metaphysical city: nietzsche modernism paris new haven (yale university press) 2014 **+** mori gioia (2007) de chirico metafisico giunti firenze **+** noel-johnson victoria giorgio de chirico and the united kingdom (c. 1916-1978) maretti editore falciano 2017. -37-7 **+** noel-johnson victoria giorgio de chirico: the changing face of metaphysical art skira milano 2019 **+** noel-johnson victoria de chirico's formation in florence (1910-1911): the discovery of the b.n.c.f library registers archived 2019-08-07 at the wayback machine (metaphysical art journal n. 11-13) maretti editore falciano 2014 **+** owen maurice (1983) "the spirits released: de chirico and metaphysical perspective" **+** owen maurice (1995) "railway stations and minotaurs: gender in the paintings of giorgio de chirico and pablo picasso" **+** pontiggia elena & gazzaneo giovanni (2012) giorgio de chirico. l'apocalisse e la luce silvana editoriale cinisellobalsamo **+** soby j. th. giorgio de chirico new york 1955 **+** schmied w. giorgio de chirico catalogue personale milano 1970 **+** metaphysical art archive **+** giorgio de chirico at moma biography and image gallery **+** chirico at fondazionedechirico.org **+** giorgio de chirico: metaphysical perspective **+** "il rapporto tra giorgio de chirico e l'inghilterra" archived 2019-08-05 at the wayback machine. rai scuola **+** speranze 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) // republic of bob