Memories of My Life

The work of Giorgio de Chirico (1888-1978), the founder of the movement «Metaphysical Painting», is rich and diverse. The artist, who vividly and uniquely expressed himself in the fields of painting, graphics, sculpture, and scenography, also left a significant mark as an art critic and writer. «Memories of My Life» (Metope della mia vita), the first part of which was published in Italy in 1946, not only allows for a deeper understanding of de Chirico's personality but also helps to reinterpret the richly symbolic painted world of the artist in a new way. De Chirico's conviction in the correctness of his judgments, confidence in his own merits, intolerance towards everything that does not align with his notions of decency, morality, good taste, and sincerity to the point of self-forgetfulness, which sometimes turns into self-admiration and self-promotion, constitute both strong and weak points of his book. But it is precisely this that makes «Memories...» an invaluable document that helps to understand the nature of the creative individuality of one of the leading masters of the 20th century.