Giorgio de Chirico

Surrealism: twentieth-century artistic style in which dreams, fantasy, and the subconcious served as inspiration for artists.

Metaphysical: of or relating to things that are thought to exist but that cannot be seen

Born to Italian parents in Volos Greece on July 10, 1888. Died in Italy on November 19, 1978.

In his art, he sought to evoke the hidden meanings behind everyday life, and his enigmatic scenes of empty cities, menacing statues, mysterious shadows and strange combinations of everyday objects inspired the artists of the Surrealist movement in the 1910s.

As a young artist, de Chirico was inspired by the European Symbolist artists and their use of a dream-like imagery. His earliest signature works combined a symbolist sensibility with his love of the classical antiquities of Greece and Italy and his philosophical musings on the true nature of reality.

In paintings such as “Enigma of an Autum Afternoon” de Chirico depicted dramatically lit city piazzas inhabited only by one or two

figures, a statue or mysterious shadows.

He exhibited some of his work in Paris in 1911. Other artists exhibited include Picasso and Brancusi.

He remained in Paris for four years (1911-1915) and he continued to paint scenes of classic architecture and town squares punctuated by only a lone figure or monument. The mood of these paintings, with their exaggerated perspectives and empty spaces, was increasingly unsettling.

During this time World War I was beginning and de Chirico and his brother were both drafted into the Italian Army in 1915, ending his stay in Paris. He reported for duty but soon afterwards suffered a nervous breakdown and spent time in a military hospital.

In 1917, he met artist Carlo Carra, who worked with him to define his style of “metaphysical painting”, emphasizing the hidden significance of ordinary places and objects.

De Chirico’s “metaphysical” works, including “Love Song”, “The Seer” and “The Disquieting Muses” featured illogical combinations of everyday objects such as rubber gloves, fruit and maps, and were peopled by faceless mannequins. By this time, his work was greatly admired by the new form Surrealist school of artists and writers, who were fascinated by dream analysis and the subconscious mind.

Although de Chirico did not identify himself as a Surrealist, he briefly collaborated with the artists of this circle, showing his work in their group exhibitions in Paris. However, in the 1920s, he began working in a neo-traditional style inspired by Renaissance “old-masters” like Raphael and Titian, and he turned against modern art and broke ties with the Surrealists.

His later career was inconsistent and occassionaly controversial. He worked in a variety of formats from theater design to book illustration to sculpture, but his style was subject to unpredictable changes.

His reputation was damaged when falsely dated copies of his works, by both de Chirico himself and forgers, infiltrated the art market.

After his death, he was recognized and praised for his influence on both the Surrealists and a later generation of artists, photographers and filmmakers.

“Dreamscapes” Rubric  Student shows changes in value: shadows and

highlights are used to make objects appear to be 3-dimensional. (15 pts)

Student used correct 1-pt or 2-pt perspective. (20 pts)

Student incorporated metaphysical objects that would not normally be found in that setting. (20 pts)

Student shows contrast – either through dramatic light or contrasting colors. (20 pts)

Neatness (10 pts) Level of creativity (15 pts)