GIORGIO DE CHIRICO

After a winter of being bound indoors by snow and the temptation of a few too many good books, cabin fever has started to set in. Though springtime is still two months away and it's been bitterly cold on the east coast, I've been enjoying the welcome afternoon sun outdoors.

I recently discovered this location and it immediately evoked the work of pre-Surrealist artist Giorgio de Chirico.

De Chirico (1888-1978) was an Italian painter who was a proponent of the Surrealist movement. He is credited for founding the scuola metafisica, an Italian art movement which centered on representations of the unconscious mind.

De Chirico's most well-known work comes from his metaphysical period (1909-1919), in which he depicted Nietzschean architecture, eerily devoid of figures and life. He was interested in a visual poetry where the effect of the whole is equal to more than the sum of the parts.

These haunting works were seen as early Surrealism, and artists such as Salvador Dalí, Max Ernst, and René Magritte all count De Chirico's metaphysical works as inspiration.

During De Chirico's later career, he returned to a more classical style of painting, influenced by Rubens. He even went so far as to denounce modern art, yet continued to begrudgingly create "replicas" of his famous metaphysical works in order to make a living.

Despite his mid-career change of philosophy, De Chirico was responsible for influencing Surrealism, one of the most important art movements of the 20th century.

My De Chirico-inspired look centered around the archway location and I simply added tights and a coat that were reminiscent of some of the hues of the paintings.

I'm wearing a vintage coat, vintage leather patchwork belt, H&M tights, vintage Ray-Bans, Schuler & Sons leather lace-up wedges, and a purple suede Sorial handbag.

[De Chirico images from flickr.com, suite101.com, artnet.com, arcadja.com, and artnet.com, respectively.]