The artwork titled “Ariana, the silent statue,” created by Giorgio de Chirico in 1913 while he was in Paris, France, is an oil on canvas piece characterized by the Metaphysical art movement. The dimensions of the work are 99 x 125 cm, and it falls within the cityscape genre. This significant painting is currently maintained in the Kunstsammlung Nordrhein-Westfalen, located in Düsseldorf, Germany.
The artwork presents a scene steeped in a dreamlike atmosphere, typical for de Chirico’s approach in Metaphysical art. It showcases an enigmatic cityscape that plays on the viewer’s sense of reality and fantasy. Architectural elements, such as soaring arcades and a lone enigmatic tower, create a sense of deep space and timeless solitude. In the foreground lies a draped figure, resembling a classical statue, which paradoxically infuses the scene with both a sense of stillness and evocative mystery. The play of light and shadow in the artwork contributes to its haunting and contemplative mood, while the absence of human activity, aside from the silent statue, emphasizes themes of silence and abandonment. The precise location of the statue within the spatial construct of the scene is deliberately ambiguous, further enhancing the enigmatic quality that defines de Chirico’s metaphysical period.
