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The Italian painter Giorgio de Chirico is more and more appreciated as one of the emblematic figures of 20th century art. He has developed the style of "metaphysical art" and is seen as one of the forerunners of surrealism. Whereas current interpretations of his work by art historians and art critics focus on the literary and philosophical sources of de Chirico's poetics, e.g. the writings from Schopenhauer and Nietzsche, the British neurologist G.N. Fuller and the art historian M.V. Gale suggested, in a paper published as early as 1988 in the British Medical Journal, that migraine with aura may have acted as a basis for several unusual and recurrent features of his "Pittura metafisica".
Reconsidering the notion of de Chirico's migraine aura as source of his artistic inspiration, Ubaldo Nicola and Klaus Podoll have systematically examined his published works as painter and writer, including his "Memoirs", the semi-autobiographical novels "Hebdomeros" and "Mister Dudron" and his collected essays. References to migraine aura symptoms were identified according to phenomenal similarities not only with clinical descriptions of such phenomena as established in neurological semeiology, but also with the paintings and drawings from the Migraine Art collection which currently consists of 562 pieces.
The available documents provided unexpectedly rich evidence for a diagnosis of migraine with aura, as summarized in the monograph "The aura of Giorgio de Chirico - Migraine Art and Metaphysical Painting".
As an expansion of Fuller' and Gale's previously reported findings, it was possible to document familiarity, childhood onset and a wide range of symptoms of de Chirico's migraine with aura as described in his writings. Blanke and Landis (2003) objected that the available evidence suggests a diagnosis of temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) rather than migraine, but major criticisms can be raised against their selection and interpretation of data (Podoll and Nicola, 2004) and according to the present author's opinion they failed to demonstrate convincing links between the assumed diagnosis of TLE and de Chirico's metaphysical painting (Blanke and Landis, 2004).
Giorgio de Chirico's revelation in Florence, 1909
"... let me recount how I had the revelation of a picture that I will show this year at the Salon d'Automne, entitled Enigma of an Autumn Afternoon. One clear autumnal afternoon I was sitting on a bench in the middle of the Piazza Santa Croce in Florence. It was of course not the first time I had seen this square. I had just come out of a long and painful intestinal illness [abdominal migraine], and I was in a nearly morbid state of sensitivity [hypersensitivity to light and noise; migraine aura phenomena]. The whole world, down to the marble of the buildings and the fountains, seemed to me to be convalescent. In the middle of the square rises a statue of Dante draped in a long cloak, holding his works clasped against his body, his laurel-crowned head bent thoughtfully earthward. The statue is in white marble, but time has given it a grey cast, very agreeable to the eye [photophobia]. The autumn sun, warm and unloving [photophobia; exposure to sun as trigger factor of migraine attack], lit the statue and the church façade. Then I had the strange impression that I was looking at all these things for the first time [jamais vu], and the composition of my picture came to my mind's eye. Now each time I look at this painting I again see that moment. Nevertheless the moment is an enigma to me, for it is inexplicable. And I like also to call the work which sprang from it an enigma."
A question on migraine headaches − Excerpts from a Usenet Newsgroups discussion
"I am curious to know where most surrealists stand on the use of drugs (both illegal and legal), and the sensations brought about by the loss of blood to the brain (the headache). Are these manipulations of the mind (brought about by outside forces and internal loss), plausible to categorize under the surrealist experience?"
(Brandon J. Freels, Newsgroups: alt.surrealism, Re: Question on Drugs and Headaches, October 20, 1998)
"yes."
(J. Michael, Newsgroups:alt.surrealism, Re: Question on Drugs and Headaches, October 20, 1998)
"Migraine Headaches have been claimed by some sufferers to induce a trance-like state during which they experience enhanced creativity. [...] I say, take your inspiration from wherever you can get it... its quicksilver glimmerings mayn't be stored for long, so you must warehouse as many inspirational inspirations as possible. Just be sure to have a lot of aspirin on hand..."
(elag, Newsgroups:alt.surrealism, Re: Question on Drugs and Headaches, October 20, 1998)
"The reason why I posted my question is due to my own contradictory views. On one hand I see the use of drugs as unsurreal, because you are experiencing the drug, and not yourself − but in cases of bodily transformations (headache, fever, etc) you are not experiencing yourself either, but the loss or gain of something into the body. But I also am wondering if one can not achieve the surrealist view by subsiding to what we consider today to be 'healthy,' or even a 'healthy mindset' therefore verifying the use of drugs, and any other effect on the body as a positive way to create the surrealist experience. So maybe now people understand my self induced confusion. It seems that the only surrealist experiences I have are based on some physical or mental trauma, and if this is so they why shouldn't the drug induced trauma be considered surrealist also? I simple don't know how to answer my own question."
(Brandon J. Freels, Newsgroups:alt.surrealism, Re: Question on Drugs and Headaches, October 21, 1998)
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This post is part of an art assignment to research a painting,document this research and produce an interpretation of said painting. Such is the power of the internet and the immediate quality of blogging.
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