From Library Journal
Metaphysics, that combination of art, philosophy, poetry, and psychology that teaches us to see beyond the physical, is the starting point for the art of Giorgio de Chirico. Coinciding with the anniversary of his death and the opening of the de Chirico museum in Rome, this lavishly illustrated exhibition catalog describes how de Chirico moved from studying the work of classical antiquity to something deeper and more disturbing. With Nietzsche and Schopenhauer as influences and a firm grounding in mathematics, he produced images that reshaped ancient Mediterranean architecture and sculpture so that one could experience the "vertigo felt before the cosmic abyss." Editor de Sanna, director of Casa degli Artisti in Milan, has gathered six fairly complex essays; the lovely illustrations span de Chirico's work from 1920 to 1970. The highlight is de Chirico's poetry, much of it published here for the first time; it is a wonderful tool with which to interpret his art. For libraries specializing in art history and the Mediterranean and for public libraries where interest warrants.ANadine Dalton Speidel, Cuyahoga Cty. P.L., Parma, OH
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Book Description
The Greek-born Italian painter Giorgio de Chirico (1888-1978) was a master of metaphysical painting. His fusion of fantastic and dream imagery with object from everyday experience creates a surreal, sometimes disturbing landscape. This fully illustrated catalogue, published on the occasion of an important exhibition in Italy, presents de Chirico's work in relation to the world and myths of classical antiquity.
In 1919 in Rome, de Chirico discovered a neoclassical calling that appears in his subsequent work in his use of perspective, statuary and other objects, and classical characters. This scholarly work discusses de Chirico's neoclassical aesthetic as it contributes to his original metaphysical philosophy.
