The Enigma of De Chirico's Anonymity

by Pete Holly

Before Dali,Breton,Magritte,and before Piccaso's and others cubism,De Chirico had
allready painted the forerunners of what would become modern surrealistic painting.
Though called Meta-physical painting what De Chirico had achieved before any other
was nothing less than a world as Surreal and seemingly unreal as anything ever
produced by the Surrealist's Painters at a latter date.Futhermore,De Chirico 's paintings
have an other worldly ghostly quality that one doesn't find in the surrealism that was to
come latter.This is not to say Dali did not refine and create his own magnificent
surrealism-it is just to say-or state as fact that De Chirico broke the glass shield of
realistic based painting first-in the most moving and unique Stylization technique's.
That he is not known for this is the mistake.Perhaps when one study's the
surrealism of the 20th century we should remember from now on to start with De
Chirico.We will all be the better off for it.