Metaphysical Art

18 March 2016

Portrait of Madame L. Gartzen 1913,
Oil on canvas, 72,5 x 60 cm.

Private Collection, Roma  The year 1910 marked not only a turning point in de Chirico’s career but also in the history of art. Following several months living in Florence, the artist experienced his first metaphysical revelation before the dominating statue of Dante and the Basilica of Santa Croce in Piazza Santa Croce. It provided him with “the strange impression that I was seeing everything for the first time. Influenced by 19th century philosophical thought, particularly by Nietzsche, Schopenhauer and Weininger, de Chirico spent the ensuing eight years in Florence (1910-1911), Paris (1911-1915) and Ferrara (1915-1918) lending tangible form to his unique understanding of metaphysics through enigmatic works of his immediate surroundings and everyday objects that harbour an inherent sense of discovery and revelation. His early metaphysical corpus includes eerily empty Italian piazzas with long shadows inhabited by a solitary statue of Ariadne or that of a politician, disquieting faceless mannequins, and claustrophobic interiors filled with random juxtapositions of geometric instruments, maps, bizarre objects and the motif of paintings within paintings.

Highlighting his various periods with examples from his earliest works to last ones, Giorgio de Chirico: The Enigma of the World exhibition took place at the Pera Museum between 24 February - 08 May 2016.

Seaside Leisure

Seaside Leisure

Istanbul’s Seaside Leisure: Nostalgia from Sea Baths to Beaches exhibition brought together photographs, magazines, comics, objects, and books from various private and institutional collections, and told a nostalgic story while also addressing the change and socialization of the norms of how Istanbulites used their free time. Istanbul’s Seaside Leisure was a documentary testament of the radical transformations in the Republic’s lifestyle. 

Venuses Throughout History

Venuses Throughout History

José Sancho does not conceal the voluptuousness of his female torsos; he highlights it. These torsos are symmetrical from front, but on the other hand, from the side, the juxtaposition of concave and convex forms creates dynamism.

Medicinal Herbs in Byzantium

Medicinal Herbs in Byzantium

Knowledge of plants and the practice of healing are closely entwined. The toxic or hallucinogenic nature of some roots, and the dangers associated with picking them, conferred a mythical or magical character and power.