Decoding the Hidden Symbolism in Giorgio de Chirico’s ‘The Song of Love’
More than meets the eye
Have you ever heard of Giorgio de Chirico?
An Italian artist and a pioneer of the surrealist art movement long before it officially emerged.
He’s considered the pioneer of metaphysical art, which is a style that’s meant to evoke a sense of mystery and unease. His artworks, characterized by their isolated and eerie depictions of facades and buildings, have become truly iconic.
One of his most famous pieces is The Song of Love is one of the most enigmatic and open-to-interpretation works of art. It’s one of those paintings that’s kind of hard to understand, but that’s what makes it so interesting.
While studying the artwork, I came across an intriguing interpretation of it on YouTube.
Composition
This artwork features an Apollo statue alongside a rubber glove, with a nail pointing toward the shadow of the glove and a dark green ball in the foreground.
A train can be seen behind a wall and it appears as though the elements have been pasted onto the facade of a train station with arches.
At first glance, the juxtaposition of these seemingly unrelated elements may be confusing.
