Giorgio De Chirico - The Horses

The iconography developed in this work addresses a crucial concept in Giorgio De Chirico's poetics, one fundamental to the development of his metaphysical theses: the concept of a "return to origins." For De Chirico, contemporary art should not create new images; rather, the artist should select them from the past, as if it were an ideal museum, taking the liberty of reworking them into creative compositions. The subject of this work, in particular, is inspired by a conscious classicist quotation. The artistic language, therefore, draws on classical antiquity, both Greek and Roman. In this context, one of De Chirico's favorite subjects is the horse. The subject of the horse, or equestrian monument, has very ancient origins, dating back to the classical world, the earliest example of which is the "Knight of Rampin," a masterpiece of archaic Greece. De Chirico, in particular, is drawn from famous steeds from history and mythology, such as the pair believed to be Balius and Xanthus, Achilles' steeds.

Classicist quotationism is a fundamental component of Giorgio de Chirico's aesthetic. Often, in keeping with the dictates of Metaphysical Art, classical or archaeological references are placed in an unusual context, creating a disorienting effect. In this case, we find ourselves faced with a drawing in which the artist has imprinted his own trademark, namely the presence of an archaic element drawn from a gallery of images from the past. Even the execution, cold and uninstinctive, is in keeping with De Chirico's rationalism.

Giorgio De Chirico, born in Volos, Greece, in 1888, died in Rome in 1978. He is the founder of Metaphysical painting. De Chirico reclaims images that already exist, familiar to the collective imagination. But he creates an effect of estrangement through the process of displacement—the sudden appearance of an object outside its usual context—or condensation, the fusion of multiple objects into a single entity. Metaphysical painting is also characterized by the illusory nature of its images.

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