Exhibition de Chirico on the Crimean Val time. "Giorgio de Chirico. Metaphysical insights." Large-scale exhibition at the Tretyakov Gallery
“Afternoon Melancholy” (1913) - a painting with such a romantic title opens the exhibition, forcing you to grasp the essence from the first minutes metaphysical painting. Greenish pair of artichokes in the foreground, looking like sea urchins or a giant burdock, their ordinariness argues with the chiaroscuro of the mysterious square divided in two, the brickwork of the wall and the smoking chimney. What is this picture about? Every visitor tries to understand.
Having understood the meaning of de Chirico's method, he will leave the exhibition having discovered the artist's innovative method. De Chirico followed the path of metaphysics for a long time. From 1910 to 1978. Initially, Friedrich Nietzsche had a great influence on the formation of his views. “I am the only artist in the world who truly understood Nietzsche,” declares the master in documentary film, which will be shown at the exhibition.
The idea of “eternal return” to the circle of events and phenomena of life in its continuous flow turned out to be very close to him. That is why metaphysical painting looks inside the subconscious. De Chirico wrote: “ Every thing has two sides: the ordinary one, what we see almost always... and the other, illusory or metaphysical, which is seen only by rare people in moments of insight...”
For the first time such an insight came to the artist in 1911, when he stood in Piazza Santa Croce in Florence. Admiring the monument and the basilica, he was suddenly visited by a strange feeling of the amazing novelty of what he saw. After this episode, the first metaphysical painting, “The Mystery of an Autumn Afternoon” (1910), was born. Next, the artist searches for his own language to express these latent metaphysical ideas. In his early canvases, the familiar seems illusory, objects enter into paradoxical connections and destroy concepts and perspective, declaring their essence to the world. We see many deserted squares, lonely statues, faceless mannequins, rooms filled with objects.
This is the most important and famous period de Chirico’s work is poorly represented at the exhibition: apart from “Midday Melancholy” from the French Center Georges Pompidou, there are literally a couple of portraits and drawings. According to the director of the Tretyakov Gallery, Zelfira Tregulova, this is due to the fact that the New York Museum of Modern Art, which owns paintings from that period, does not participate in such a museum exchange.
The richness and variety of exhibits at the exhibition
However, de Chirico's subsequent creative experiments can be seen quite widely. This is an imitation of the old masters - Rubens and Watteau, which resulted in a whole series of self-portraits, and a large number of images with mannequins, and canvases with references to ancient mythology.
Canvases, graphics, sculptural works and theatrical costumes for Diaghilev’s “Russian Seasons” - all this long-awaited wealth is united by the title of the exhibition “Metaphysical Insights” and gives understanding artistic method painter, immersing him in different stages creative path, from the programmatic metaphysics of the 1910s, to the neoclassics of the 1930s-40s and late neometaphysics.
Photo: Tatyana Zolochevskaya
“Chronologically, de Chirico’s work is represented by the period from 1910 to 1970 and is divided into several thematic sections”, says exhibition curator Tatyana Goryacheva.
The titles of the sections are: knowledge, history and myth, dialogue with old masters, self-portraits and eternal return. These themes fully reveal the meaning of the paintings.
Most of the exhibits came from Italy, they were provided by the Giorgio and Isa de Chirico Foundation (the master’s second wife). Among others - the largest art dealer David Nahmad, the Museum of New and contemporary art Trento and Rovereto (Italy), Center Georges Pompidou (France), Victoria and Albert Museum (UK), Pushkin Museum. A.S. Pushkina (Russia) and others.
“This exhibition, which we have been preparing for a year and a half, is de Chirico’s first exhibition in Russia. Before this, there was a project in 1929, where only three works by the artist were shown. One of the works was purchased and stored in the Pushkin Museum. Pushkin, who has now kindly provided us with this work”, said Zelfira Tregulova.
It's no surprise that such an event has a stunning exhibition space. The New Tretyakov Gallery (as the building on Krymsky Val is now called) allocated 2 floors for this impressive Italian collection. Upon entering, visitors find themselves on a spacious balcony, paintings hang on the light gray walls to the right, and to the left, looking down, you can see another room located on the ground floor level. From here you can clearly see the graceful white semi-arches, painted inside different colors, in which graphics are presented.
At the end of the balcony, if you turn right, you find yourself in a rather spacious, elongated room. Here the dark, almost black walls contrast with the light tiles of the floor, and against this background the paintings located on both sides and the theatrical costumes in glass cases standing in the center and at the end look especially impressive.
The personality of the artist, Russian wives and ballet
It is curious that Giorgio de Chirico valued himself very highly. In a 1978 interview, he calls himself “ the best artist XX century". IN Everyday life he was prone to theatrical effects. His first wife Raisa Gurevich told how, on the way from France to Monte Carlo, de Chirico specially dressed himself in the armor of a warrior in order to climb the hill where the Gauls and Romans fought, and in this form kneel in memory of the heroes.
Both of the artist's wives are Russian. They met the first mentioned Raisa in 1925 at the Roman theater, for which he made sketches of scenery and theatrical costumes. Raisa was a prima ballerina. Then they got married and lived in Paris.
Photo: Tatyana Zolochevskaya
In 1931 they separated, and he married Isabella Pakszver, she also had Russian roots. He lived with her for the rest of his life and loved her very much. On many canvases, his muse appears either in the form of a goddess or a heroine. She organizes exhibitions and after the death of her husband creates the Foundation for Artistic and literary heritage, bequeathing to him not only work, but also great house in Piazza di Spagna, where they lived for 30 years. The Foundation is now located in this house.
Victoria Noel Johnson, curator of the Giorgio and Isa de Chirico Foundation, explains why the exhibition features theatrical costumes. This has nothing to do with the first ballerina wife: “ We thought that for de Chirico’s first exhibition in Russia it would be important to show the artist’s connection with Russian art, Russian ballet. And in this section we present beautiful costumes for Diaghilev’s ballet “The Ball” from the collection, made according to de Chirico’s sketches British Museum Victoria and Albert.”
These suits self made, and the names of the dancers are embroidered on the backside. They have not been washed since the 30s, and you can see sweat stains on them, which symbolically demonstrate the artist’s strong connection with Russia.
What did Giorgio de Chirico give to the world of painting?
Long before Salvador Dali, Giorgio de Chirico recognized and brought the importance of the subconscious into the world of painting. But he is considered only the “father” of surrealism; they somehow noted a certain tangible stop of time and space on his canvases. forerunner. “ They did not really understand the concept of metaphysics, but they appreciated its visual expression, in particular the ability to make a tangible stop of time and space, which is so obvious in de Chirico's paintings”, explains Victoria Noel Johnson. He had a huge influence on the work of Magritte and Dali, right up to Kazimir Malevich. Very many contemporary artists have parallels in their work with de Chirico.
Photo: Tatyana Zolochevskaya
Art critics put him on a par with Picasso. “ But if Picasso personifies the severity of the father, then de Chirico represents the tenderness of the mother“- explained its curator from the Russian side, art critic Tatyana Goryacheva, at the opening of the exhibition.
It is known that it was Picasso and Apollinaire who discovered de Chirico in the 1930s after seeing his work at the Paris Autumn Salon. “ They both are the supporting pillars of artXXcentury. Picasso was generally one of the few artists whom de Chirico respected and appreciated. And Picasso answered him in kind”, says Victoria Noel Johnson.
There are paintings in the exhibition that reveal this mutual influence. “ We are talking about two paintings from the “Roman Women” series - one from Moscow Pushkin Museum, another was presented by the Roveretto Museum - which depicts huge female figures in a cramped, almost claustophobic space”, continues the curator of the Foundation. The model for them was the first wife Raisa.
Photo: Tatyana Zolochevskaya
It is believed that de Chirico also influenced the work of Andy Warhol. In the 1950s and 60s, Giorgio copied himself, creating several versions of the same painting. Victoria Noelle Johnson explains: “ This applies to such textbook series as “The Destruction of the Muses” or “Piazza d’Italia”. Warhol immediately appreciated the possibilities of such copyrighted copies.”.
In conclusion, I would like to say that this grand exhibition with all the variety of valuable exhibits, it only reveals to the viewer the whole Genius of Giorgio de Chirico. Inquisitive minds will be able to fill to the brim with life-giving knowledge about metaphysical painting, and the inexperienced viewer will receive a deep aesthetic impression from general overview exposition. I’ll end with the words of the master himself: “We must not forget that the picture should be a reflection of an internal sensation, and internal means strange, strange means unknown or not entirely known.”.
IN Tretyakov Gallery The first Russian exhibition of Giorgio de Chirico, one of the main Italian surrealists, known for his metaphysical painting, opened. Buro 24/7 tells you what you need to know about the artist before visiting the exhibition.
Metaphysics and early creativity
The de Chirico family comes from Greece. After my father's death future artist moves with his family to Munich, where he continues his studies at the Academy fine arts. During his Munich years he was influenced by the works of Friedrich Nietzsche, Arthur Schopenhauer and Otto Weininger. Their ideas form his worldview, which he himself calls “metaphysics” - one of the main branches of philosophy, which examines questions of primary existence. Metaphysical painting would not receive its name until 1917, when de Chirico met the artist Carlo Carra, whose search for a formal language was in many ways close to the master.
Self-portrait in a black sweater. Giorgio de Chirico. 1957
Nevertheless, all of de Chirico’s works of the 1910s can be classified as “metaphysics” - desert landscapes, where lonely characters appear against the backdrop of urban architecture with expressive shadows, or still lifes with classical busts, fruits and balls. As follows from the memoirs of the artist himself, his first metaphysical insight arose in Piazza Santa Croce in Florence. “It suddenly seemed to me as if I was seeing everything around me for the first time,” he later wrote in his memoirs. This episode formed the basis of the first metaphysical picture - “The Mystery of an Autumn Afternoon” (1910).
Another important factor influences in de Chirico's work are the works of the German symbolists, Max Klinger and Arnold Böcklin, with whom de Chirico himself is initially compared. The pictorial and philosophical influences of this time would appear only a few years later, during the artist's stay in Paris. Following Munich, de Chirico moved to Milan and Florence, and after the war he finally reached Paris, where in the 1910s the career of de Chirico and other masters of the era took place - Pablo Picasso, Amadeo Modigliani, Chaim Soutine, Constantin Brancusi and many others. Although de Chirico’s work is not directly related to them, Paris as an artistic environment played an important role in his formation.
"Melancholy and the Mystery of the Street." Giorgio de Chirico. 1914
Another artist who influenced the formation of metaphysical painting was de Chirico’s younger brother, Alberto Savinio. Together with him, de Chirico published the magazine “Plastic Values”, and also published a number of theoretical works in which the fundamental principles of metaphysical painting were defined. Among them are transparency and irony, which later became main characteristic poetic and dreamy paintings of metaphysicians.
The first part of the exhibition is devoted to the period of the 1910s and metaphysics as the main method of de Chirico. The works of the 1920s and 30s, in which the artist reinterprets antiquity and the Old Masters, represent a logical continuation of the first stage. Between them, the viewer finds himself in the world of Diaghilev’s ballets, in the creation of costumes for which de Chirico was directly involved.
Costumes for Diaghilev's ballets and a return to eternal themes
If at the beginning of his career, costumes and scenery for Diaghilev were created mainly by members of the World of Art group - Lev Bakst, Valentin Serov and Alexander Benois, then Andre Derain and Pablo Picasso are working on this in Paris. The latter also created the scenography for the ballet Pulcinella in 1920. In 1931, after the death of Diaghilev, this production returned to the stage in the scenery of de Chirico. In addition, the artist designed costumes for latest project Diaghilev's Ball (1929), as well as for Proteus, staged by the Russian Ballet of Monte Carlo at Covent Garden.
"Song of Love". Giorgio de Chirico. 1914
The turn of the 1920s-30s in de Chirico’s work was marked not only by his work in the theater, but also by his interest in historical and mythical subjects. During these same years, he began working on the aforementioned magazine “Plastic Values,” which revived the ideals of classical painting. The following appear on de Chirico’s canvases: historical subjects, How Trojan War and the Battle of Thermopylae, and fragments of aqueducts, columns and temples are formed into single figures of “Archaeologists”. These motifs serve as references to the profession of his wife Raisa Gurevich-Krat. In those same years, de Chirico often turned to the art of the Old Masters: among his paintings it is easy to recognize the prototypes of Watteau, Titian, Boucher, Fragonard, Canaletto and Rubens.
Separate sections of the exhibition are presented by sculpture and graphics by the artist - terracotta figures in bronze and sketches of the same mannequins, as well as preparatory sketches for paintings. The cycle of one hundred works presented at the exhibition ends with the concept of “Neo-metaphysics” - that’s what they call late period creativity from 1968 to 1976. At this time, the artist created copies of existing works, reworking them in a new style, much more complex. A striking example This is “The Inner Metaphysics of the Workshop,” where the artist’s seemingly familiar canvases are depicted inside a new painting.
« Internal metaphysics of the workshop». Giorgio de Chirico. 1969
De Chirico most significantly influenced the painting of the surrealists, whose association arose ten years after the appearance of metaphysical artists. Without the work of de Chirico, it is difficult to imagine the works of Salvador Dali or Rene Magritte, and Andre Breton himself was so fascinated by the painting “The Brain of a Child” that he got off the bus when he saw it in the window.
Although de Chirico is associated with Russia only through his work for Diaghilev’s ballets, curator Tatiana Goryacheva draws parallels between the Italian artist and Suprematist Malevich, and the dreamy Deineka, and the cubists Shevchenko and Rozhdestvensky. This can best be understood only by seeing it with your own eyes.
Giorgio de Chirico. "Orpheus is a tired troubadour." 1970
The first large-scale exhibition of works in Russia will open at the Tretyakov Gallery on April 20, 2017 Italian painter Giorgio de Chirico (1888−1978) - inventor of “metaphysical painting”. The exhibition will present works of painting, graphics, sculpture, as well as theatrical costumes made by the artist for the enterprise of Sergei Diaghilev to ballet performance"Ball" (1929).
For the attention of the audience - more than 100 works of the artist 
Giorgio de Chirico. Light and shadow
Exhibition “Giorgio de Chirico. Metaphysical insights" - a joint project Tretyakov Gallery and the Giorgio and Isa de Chirico Foundation. Works for the exhibition were provided by the National Gallery of New and Contemporary Art (Rome), the Museum of New and Contemporary Art of Trento and Rovereto, the Center Georges Pompidou (Paris), the Victoria and Albert Museum (London), the Pushkin Museum. A. S. Pushkin and private collection from Switzerland.
The exposition will open the annual arts festival " Cherry forest", which since 2001 has been held annually in Russia by Bosco di Ciliegi.
Giorgio de Chirico. Master
Giorgio de Chirico was born in the Greek city of Volos, in a family of Italians. He studied drawing and painting, first in Athens and then in Florence. Later, during his studies at the Academy fine arts in Munich between 1906 and 1909, de Chirico was influenced by philosophers such as Nietzsche, Schopenhauer and Otto Weininger, as well as the artists Arnold Böcklin and Max Klinger. The artist created his first works, which are called “metaphysical”, in 1910 in Florence, where he moved with his mother and brother.
Giorgio de Chirico. Melancholy and the mystery of the street
The master was also fascinated by the “square city” of Turin, the city of Nietzsche, who wrote “Thus Spoke Zarathustra” here in 1888. In 1911, having arrived in Paris, the artist became close to Picasso, Derain and Apollinaire, and became acquainted with the work of Braque and Léger. The formal countdown of the school of “metaphysical painting” dates back to 1917: passing military service in the rear, in Ferrara, de Chirico became friends with the artist Carlo Carra, with whom he developed new ideas, already having by that time his own baggage of subjects, painting style and technical techniques.
Giorgio de Chirico. Poet's doubt. 1913
Theoretical works and paintings early period The artist subsequently became a powerful source of inspiration for the surrealists. The exhibition at the Tretyakov Gallery will reveal all facets of de Chirico’s work: classical “metaphysical” and post-metaphysical painting, the artist’s turn in the 1920s - 1930s to the interpretation of antiquity and mythological subjects, his interest in the paintings of old masters.
Giorgio de Chirico. Two figures
Viewers will see numerous self-portraits of de Chirico, as well as early paintings, testifying to his passion for the art of the Swiss symbolist artist Arnold Böcklin (1827−1901). Most of the works are provided by the Fondation de Chirico (Rome, Italy), founded in 1986. According to the will of the artist's widow, the Foundation received a large body of his late works.
Giorgio de Chirico. Return of Ulysses. 1968
The artist lived for a long time - 90 years, and complained that, having lived so long and being a contemporary of Dali, he was not called a genius of surrealism.
“If I had died at 31, like Seurat, or at 39, like Apollinaire, I would today be considered one of the main painters of the century. Do you know what those stupid critics would say?! That the greatest surrealist artist is not Dali, not Magritte, not Delvaux, but me, Chirico!”
Giorgio de Chirico. Yellow book
Giorgio de Chirico is one of the most unusual masters XX century, whose work is characterized by a consistent change of avant-garde movements. And, unlike many of his contemporaries, who consistently reveal their ideas and passions over time, he created a unique metaphysical universe in which he worked on many ideas.
Giorgio de Chirico. "Metaphysical interior with a statue in profile." 1962
According to the curators, the works included in the “Metaphysical Insights” exhibition will provide the public with the opportunity to comprehend the influence of Giorgio de Chirico not only on European artists, but also on Russians - first of all, on Kazimir Malevich. The latter not only transformed in his later works some techniques and motifs of painting by the Italian artist, but also strongly recommended the study of his work to his students.
Metaphysical interior with the head of Mercury. Giorgio de Chirico. 1969
De Chirico was different from other great artists of his time. His style was both universal and bright, and the main themes of his work were memories, dreams and mysteries of the world. This style-forming, gifted painter had a huge influence on such masters as Rene Magritte and Salvador Dali (by the way, an exhibition of Dali’s works in St. Petersburg begins its work in April 2017).
Poet and artist. Giorgio de Chirico. 1975
“In order for a work of art to be immortal, it is necessary that it go beyond the limits of the human, to where there are no common sense and logic. In this way it approaches sleep and childhood daydreaming.”
Giorgio de Chirico
Giorgio de Chirico. Horsemen in the forest
For the first time, four works by de Chirico were exhibited in Moscow in 1929, and were exhibited in the 1930s
his drawings and etchings. Art historians believe that the influence of the works of the Italian forerunner of surrealism can be traced in the works of such Russian masters as Alexander Shevchenko, Alexander Deineka, Vera Ermolaeva.
Giorgio de Chirico. Sadness in the eyes
This topic is covered in detail in a unique publication prepared for the exhibition.
with the participation of curator Tatyana Goryacheva, which also included articles from Italian
researchers of the creative path of Giorgio de Chirico.
Giorgio de Chirico. Young man and white horse
Exhibition “Giorgio de Chirico. Metaphysical insights" at the State Tretyakov Museum
The gallery will be open from April 20 to July 23, 2017
"Giorgio de Chirico. Metaphysical Insights" is the name of the exhibition, which opened on April 20, 2017 in New Tretyakov Gallery, which is on Krymsky Val. It will last until July 23, 2017 and will give the Russian viewer the opportunity to get up close and personal with the iconic figure of Russian-Italian relations of the 20th century, for the first time since the artist’s lifetime exhibition in 1929. By the way, it was then that the Pushkin Museum im. A.S. Pushkin acquired his “Romans”...
Giorgio de Chirico (1888-1978) – Italian artist, descended from an ancient aristocracy - Sicilian on his father and Genoese on his mother. Most He lived his young life in Greece, absorbing its antiquity.
The environment of Orthodox Greek culture probably also made itself felt and became the painter’s first link with Russia. In addition, he was twice married to women originating from Russia, and was friendly and collaborated with S. Diaghilev.
The idea of showing Giorgio de Chirico’s exhibition in Moscow as important for Russian-Italian relations was highly appreciated by V.V. Putin and S. Mattarella, Presidents of both countries. Its implementation fell on the shoulders of the Tretyakov Gallery and the Giorgio and Isa de Chirico Foundation, and was supported by 5 museums and private collections in Europe. A total of 100 works are presented, including theatrical costumes, sketches, figurines and paintings.
The result of the efforts was something special and large-scale. As the organizers of the exhibition unanimously noted, G. De Chirico was one of the great artists of the 20th century, along with P. Picasso. According to the Italian curator of the project G. Mercurio: “De Chirico was convinced that art is a cycle where everything returns and art itself gives birth to art.”
Almost everything famous images ancient art, the Middle Ages and the Renaissance appear before the eyes of the viewer, but all this is done in a special, unique manner. Although the exhibition contains 3 sections that mark de Chirico’s path to the metaphysical exploration of the world through neoclassicism, revival and Nietzscheanism, antiquity never leaves his canvases, leaving a symbolic trace in all his works.
When asked whether the artist de Chirico is national or supranational, O. Strada answered: “Of course, he is Italian pride, therefore he is an Italian artist. At the same time, it is supranational. Moreover, we already live within the borders of Europe, more broad concept countries. And in those days, we must not forget, artists traveled to cultural capitals. In the 1920s, this was Paris, then London, then Rome and Milan... Because all artists always try to absorb what is new.
As for de Chirico, he lived in Greece for many years, his father was an engineer and he worked there. Therefore, of course, all Greek culture, Greek tradition is part of de Chirico’s aesthetic landscape. He also studied in Berlin, where modernism was in vogue in those years. But de Chirico did not like fashionable art because he believed that it was superficial. He loved A. Böcklin very much, and for some time tried to extract the essence of his art. Another very important thing for de Chirico was knowledge of the philosophers of that time. He read Nietzsche and Schopenhauer all his life, and his paintings often reflect philosophical thoughts Nietzsche. For example, the theme of eternal return.”
Exhibition “Giorgio de Chirico. Metaphorical Insights” opens the “Cherry Forest” festival, organized by the famous company Bosco di Ciliegi, its founder M.E. Kusnirovich. De Chirico entered his life, in the Italian office, in 1995 in the form of two copies of his paintings - there he was imprinted in his memory and remained in it. “E-Vesti” took this opportunity to ask Mikhail Ernestovich how important de Chirico is for us and for our culture today: “I think he is very important. De Chirico “spinned” himself deep and high, and invited the viewer to do the same. There is a lot to think about: images, combination of planes, volumes, colors... For a discerning viewer, this is what you need. These are not wonderful “bears in the forest”, not only that.
All the artists of the early 20th century were in an excited state; they felt their missionary mission and anticipated the development of such a huge number of movements. Someone was the forerunner of surrealism, someone was engaged in futurism, someone was an avant-garde solution... They were faced with universal, worldview problems, and that’s why, it seems to me that after 100 years and beyond, this remains modernity”...
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Following the nostalgic “Thaw” project, the Tretyakov Gallery is preparing a new exhibition hit. A retrospective of Giorgio de Chirico, the founder of metaphysical painting, is opening in Russia for the first time.
The mysterious world created by de Chirico traditionally attracts the viewer. Throughout his life, the artist turned to the traditions of Antiquity, classical old art, and was fascinated by the philosophy of Nietzsche. In addition, de Chirico was a big fan theatrical arts- viewers of the Moscow exhibition will be able to see for the first time the costumes he made for Sergei Diaghilev’s ballet “The Ball” in 1929.
"Orpheus is a tired troubadour." 1970. Giorgio and Isa de Chirico Foundation, Rome.
Theatricality is perhaps the main thing distinguishing feature art by de Chirico. Airless landscapes in which time seems to have frozen forever, the midday heat, deserted streets with the wreckage of ancient monuments and antique masks - his paintings are often called “illustrations of dreams” - he “works” with the subconscious so subtly and sometimes ironically. Later, this “technique” would be borrowed by the surrealists and become central to their work.
"Inner metaphysics with the head of Mercury." 1969. Giorgio and Isa de Chirico Foundation, Rome
The exhibition of the Italian avant-garde artist took a year and a half to prepare. The main partner of the Tretyakov Gallery was the foundation of the heirs of the Italian avant-garde artist - Giorgio and Isa de Chirico. Viewers will see more than 100 works of painting, graphics and sculpture brought from Switzerland, France and Great Britain.
"Self-portrait in a black sweater." 1957. Giorgio and Isa de Chirico Foundation, Rome.
During his lifetime, de Chirico was known as an extremely narcissistic person, without hesitation calling himself the best artist of the twentieth century. According to the curators, his appeal to the traditions of Titian, Rembrandt and Rubens shows how great was his desire to place himself on a par with the great masters of the past. De Chirico's egocentrism is also reflected in the exhibition - several self-portraits of the artist, executed in various manners, are presented.
