Book Description
Pegasus Library
Giorgio de Chirico Endless Voyage
By Wieland Schmied
Giorgio de Chirico (1888 1978) was the inventor of a symbolic style, which had a powerful influence on 20th- century art. His strange dreamscapes, featuring classical statues, Italian piazzas, sinister shadows, geometric objects, and mannequins are filled with enigma. This richly illustrated book focuses on the artist s mysterious and fascinating representations of the human form and describes how events and friendships in his life influenced his artistic development.
Publisher comments
At a young age de Chirico was deeply impressed by Arnold Bocklin s painting of Odysseus on Calypso s island. De Chirico appropriated Bocklin s Odysseus for his own paintings, at first with little modification, then pushing it ever further into the background until it appeared only as a shadow. The author explains how the figure underwent numerous additional alterations In later paintings before returning to center stage as the famous manichino figure, the faceless tailor s dummy. This absorbing volume brings readers closer to understanding one of the 20th century s most inscrutable artists.