as quoted in Artists on Art – from the 14th – 20th centuries, ed. by Robert Goldwater and Marco Treves; Pantheon Books, 1972, London, p. 440
“
A work of art must narrate something that does not appear within its outline. The objects and figures represented in it must likewise poetically tell you of something that is far away from them and also of what their shapes materially hide from us. A certain dog painted by Courbet (French 19th century painter) is like the story of a poetic and romantic hunt. (1919)
— Giorgio de Chirico
What It Means
This is a placeholder explanation generated by the low-overhead model. It interprets "A work of art must narrate something that does not appear within its outline. The objects and figures represented in it must likewise poetically tell you of something that is far away from them and also of what their shapes materially hide from us. A certain dog painted by Courbet (French 19th century painter) is like the story of a poetic and romantic hunt. (1919)" in the context of "as quoted in Artists on Art – from the 14th – 20th centuries, ed. by Robert Goldwater and Marco Treves; Pantheon Books, 1972, London, p. 440" to mean that wisdom is timeless.
Source: Wikiquote: "Giorgio de Chirico" (Quotes of De Chirico: chronologically arranged, after date of the quotes of De Chirico, 1908 - 1920, On Mystery and Creation, Paris 1913: Quotes from: On Mystery and Creation, Giorgio de Chirico - written in Paris, 1913)
The 'What it means' explanation text was generated by Google Gemini Flash (accessed January 18, 2026). https://gemini.google.com/app
Tags
About Giorgio de Chirico
Giorgio de Chirico (July 10, 1888 – November 20, 1978), often known as Népo, was an influential pre-Surrealist Italian painter born in Volos, Greece to a Genovese mother and a Sicilian father. He founded the Scuola metafisica art movement.
About Giorgio de Chirico
Giorgio de Chirico (July 10, 1888 – November 20, 1978), often known as Népo, was an influential pre-Surrealist Italian painter born in Volos, Greece to a Genovese mother and a Sicilian father. He founded the Scuola metafisica art movement.
View all quotes →