The Duo
Giorgio de Chirico
Italian, born Greece. 1888–1978
Paris, winter 1914-15
An oil on canvas by Giorgio de Chirico that stages two mannequin-like figures on a sunlit wooden terrace, using classical architecture and enigmatic props to make a dreamlike, unsettling meditation on memory and the uncanny.
What hits you first is the theatrical stillness—an unnaturally deep green sky, a pink cylindrical tower, long crisp shadows on the planks, and two faceless, armless figures wired like puppets, one bearing a small painted heart, all rendered with eerie clarity.
A hallmark of de Chirico’s Metaphysical period, this painting helped invent a modern visual language of alienation and dream imagery that directly influenced Surrealism and 20th-century explorations of psychological space.
Medium
Oil on canvas
Dimensions
32 1/4 x 23 1/4" (81.9 x 59 cm)
Classification
Department
Credit
James Thrall Soby Bequest
Accession
1213.1979
Palette
Art Terms
Exhibitions
