Giorgio de Chirico Myth and Archeology

A year devoted to the culture of Italy, a country that looks to the future while never forgetting its roots, could hardly fail to feature the work of Giorgio de Chirico.
The catalogue outlines how the artist drew upon mythology, archaeology and history to create evocative images that suggest a mysterious otherworldly reality, revealing not only his predilection for traditional themes and techniques but also his affinity with the Surrealist vision and fascination with metaphysical subjects. Powerful emotions and images are thus conjured up through the lineaments of ancient forms. The works focus in particular on sculpture and demonstrate its role of primary importance in the master's oeuvre as a whole, including painting. This volume bears witness to the metaphysical shift towards the "beyond" whereby sculpture came to lose its classical features and manifest its symbolic essence. The result was a perfect synthesis, with the dummy emerging from the pictorial realm to become sculpture, thus attaining immortality and acquiring the metaphysical characteristics for which Giorgio de Chirico was celebrated the world over.