Essay by Errin Copple, Assistant Editor, Class of 2005

Giorgio de Chirico was the leader of the Metaphysical art movement and the acknowledged inspiration (although he fervently denied it) for Surrealist painters. He convincingly portrayed a dreamlike world just within the borders of the imagination. Unlike most modern artists who were only appreciated later in life, de Chirico found success early in his career, yet as his style progressed, the seemingly fickle art world no longer approved or understood. His innovative approach was highly influenced by the philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche, who defined art as the "real metaphysical activity of man," and the Symbolist painter, Arnold B�cklin, in his depictions of dreamscapes (De Sanna).

Stylistically, Train Station Ferroviara was painted at the height of de Chirico's Metaphysical Period. Called Metaphysical because it portrayed a world beyond that of the physical, this art depicted a dream world, ironically rendered in realistic detail. Scenes that could only be constructed in the mind, such as this strange landscape, were put forth on canvas. All the typical de Chirico components of this time are in place-the geometric arches and colonnade, black train and long shadows. De Chirico portrayed an almost uneasy emptiness with a sense of mysterious foreboding. The deserted city has that quality of a parallel world, where everything looks normal but is far from it. The deep shadows fall at different angles, further altering one's sense of logical reality. Time appears frozen as the puff of smoke lingers in the air above the train. Even the colors, the sharply contrasting blue-green of the sky with the mustard-tan ground, lend to the viewer's discomfort upon examining the piece.

The general locations depicted in these paintings reflect de Chirico's love of Italian architecture and city monuments around the Mediterranean. Ferarra and Turin were two such towns from which he drew inspiration for his metaphysical works. Turin was the city Nietzsche loved and Ferrara was the location where de Chirico was stationed with the Italian army from 1915-1918. It was here that he first met Carlo Carrà with whom he would start the Metaphysical group in Italy (De Sanna 69-70). The movement was rather short-lived, essentially lasting less than a year before de Chirico, seeking greater classicism, decided to change his style. However, although not then defined as metaphysical, his work from 1912-1917 is now considered to be in this style.