Via Appia Antica
c. 1945/1950
Image not available — this artwork is under copyright
View on museum website →Medium
oil on canvas
Dimensions
overall: 44.5 x 54.3 cm (17 1/2 x 21 3/8 in.) framed: 57.6 x 67.3 cm (22 11/16 x 26 1/2 in.)
Classification
Painting
Department
CMC
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Philip Gibson Hodge
Accession Number
1984.52.1
Art Historical Context
Giorgio de Chirico's *Via Appia Antica* (c. 1945/1950) captures the timeless allure of of ancient Rome's most iconic landmarks—the Appian Way, a 2,300-year-old road lined with ruins, tombs, and cypress trees. Painted in oil on canvas (44.5 x 54.3 cm), this work reflects the Italian artist's lifelong fascination with classical antiquity,oking a sense of mystery and nostalgia amid post-World War II reconstruction. De Chirico, founder of the Metaphysical art movement in the early 1910s, shifted in his later career toward more realistic yet enigmatic depictions of Italian landscapes. Here, his ma...