Oil on canvas

50 x 40 cm. 19 3/4 x 15 7/8 in.

Signed in Italian on the bottom center; certified with title in Italian on the reverse

LITERATURE
1987, Catalogo Generale- Giogio de Chirico Vol. terzo, PartII 1931-1950, Electa Editrice Publishing House, Milan, Plate No. 784
PROVENANCE
Galleria Farsetti Prato, Italy
16 Jun 2009, Finarte Milan Modern and Contemporary Art Auctions, Lot 176
Private Collection, Europe

This work is accompanied by an Appraisal Report signed by Claudio Bruni Sakraischik, appointed Giorgio de Chirico expert by Rome Court, and the author of Catalogo Generale- Giogio de Chirico, as well as an official artwork export document issued by Milano Government Customs Office

A Poem of Chanting, The Immortal of the Metaphysical
The Masterpiece of Giorgio de Chirico

Giorgio de Chirico was born in a wealthy family in Greece in 1888 and inherited Italian descent from his father. Because of his outstanding artistic talent, he went to the Athens Polytechnic Institute at the age of twelve and transferred to the Munich Academy of Fine Arts later on. During his four-year study in Germany, he was influenced by the idealism philosophers such as Arthur Schopenhauer and Friedrich Nietzsche, which enabled him to create his first metaphysical painting at the age of twenty-one, after moving to Italy upon graduation. In his works, he often placed objects against irrelevant background, using unconventional composition and luminous light to emphasize emotion and spirituality. Having influenced painters like René Magritte and Max Ernst, Chirico is known as the pioneer of the Surrealist school. His works were collected by the Metropolitan Museum of Art (The Met), the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), the National Museum of Modern Art, and the Tate Modern in London. This auction will present the artist's masterpiece in Rome period Piazza d'Italia con Monumento a Cavour, to showcase the surrealist master's lifelong passion to art, philosophy, and architecture. Underneath the mysterious and spacious view, lies the mysticism that Giorgio de Chirico upholds and his impressive line, “If it is not enigma, what else could I fall in love with?”

Art: The Silence of a lonely Island

I saw Chirico's work for the first time in 1923 and it has influenced me greatly. I have savored those peculiar scenes carefully, and since then, I begun to use new painting techniques.
——Magritte

In 1944, Chirico settled in Rome. Influenced by metaphysical thinkers from early years, he combined the renaissance painting techniques that he mastered with his wild imagination and created a series of masterpieces from 1944 to 1970. Piazza d'Italia con Monumento a Cavour, completed in 1949, is one of his finest pieces.

Under the dark emerald sky, the painting unfolds from the statue in the center at sunset. The white statue is placed on the stone base, as if it was floating, which makes the plaza look like a deserted island. Two pedestrians are talking in front of the red chimney, bringing liveliness to the painting. The red arch door of white building on the left is shut tight, while the arch door under the dark shadow on the right is slightly open, allowing lights to penetrate through. The contrast of bright and darkness provokes a theatrical feeling of being present with day and night at the same time. This sharp contrast is ubiquitous in this piece: the gigantic silent statue vs the small talking human figures; the warm earthy color of the ground vs the dark emerald sky covered in dark clouds. From the lonely statue in the front, to the two pedestrians in the middle, to the undulating view of the city in the back, Chirico has actualized emotional progression on canvas, i.e. from the self to the crowd and from the inside to the outside. He has severed the hustle-bustle of urban life from the disserted island of the plaza by the red wall; the only witness to elapse of time is the smoke from the red chimney.

Philosophy: Shadows from Sunset

Nietzsche once wrote, “Sunset at an Italian plaza in autumn makes everything bath in the mystery of long shadows.” Chirico was extremely excited when he read this sentence and Nietzsche has become a lifetime idol for him. He has repeatedly depicted shadows in his works. In Piazza d'Italia con Monumento a Cavour, the figures, the statue, and the buildings all form long and narrow shadows on the ground, but neither of them is fully displayed, adding mystic atmosphere to the painting. Chirico deliberately adopts a multi-point composition to increase the mystic and the multidimensional nature of the work. These scenes have blurred the boundary between illusion and reality, which pays tribute to Nietzsche's

Piazza d'Italia con Monumento a Cavour depicts the view of Plaza Cavour across the river and the central statue is the Italian statesman Count Cavour. Chen Danqing once pointed out that as Giorgio de Chirico's most recognized and favorite theme, the Italian Plaza series embodyhis adoration and memory of his father, who passed away when he was young. In fact, although Chirico's father was an Italian, he has always lived in Greece and never set foot on Italy until his death. Chirico returned to his hometown in Italy after sixty. In this piece, he paints the monument, a symbol of immortality and patriarchy, to commemorate his father and subsequently this piece has become his most expressive artwork as a reserved artist.

In recent years, with successful exhibitions such as Chirico and Morandi by Shanghai Yicang Art Museum, Chirico has gradually become known to Chinese collectors. Similar works in his later years have been auctioned at five million Hong Kong dollars in Shanghai. This work is not only accompanied by a certificate issued by the Chirico Foundation, but also included in his artwork collection. It is the extraordinary choice for collectors who aim for his masterpieces.

Price estimate:
HKD: 1,500,000 – 2,500,000
USD: 193,500 – 322,600

Auction Result:
HKD: --