#cluttered space

Melancholy of Departure by Giorgio de Chirico, 1916

Oil on Canvas 

518 x 359 mm

Metaphysical Art

It was painted after de Chirico returned from Paris to Italy, to serve in the First World War. 

This painting depicts a random cluster of objects used to make paintings, and an easel which holds up a triangular map. The map shows a channel between two land masses with outlines of different routes. The surroundings are the inside of a room at night. The room has an open archway through which can be seen a tower.

During this time de Chirico was moving away from the bright open scenes of his previous work. He was now focusing on more abstract combinations of objects and indoor settings, and seeking to paint the hidden meanings behind the surface of things.

The window and the map with the traced route evoke ideas of travel suggesting escape from a cluttered, claustrophobic studio. Themes of travel and departure are present in much of de Chirico's canon, as seen in his many paintings of trains and railways stations.