Gare Montparnasse (The Melancholy of Departure)
Encyclopedia
Gare Montparnasse (Italian: La stazione di Montparnasse) (1914) is a painting by the Greek
-Italian
metaphysical painter
Giorgio de Chirico
. Many of de Chirico’s works were inspired by the introspective feelings evoked by travel. He was born in Greece to Italian parents. This work was painted during a period when he lived in Paris
.
The painting depicts the Gare Montparnasse
train station in Paris
, France
. It is a classic example of de Chirico’s style, depicting an angular perspective on an outdoor architectural setting in the long shadows and deep colors of early evening. On the horizon is a steam train with a plume of white smoke billowing away from it. The train image appears several times in de Chirico's work. In the foreground is a bunch of bananas, another recurring image in de Chirico's work (cf. Le Rêve Transformé
).
In 1916, de Chirico painted another work simply titled The Melancholy of Departure
. In 1987, the American
jazz
musicians Mark Isham
and Art Lande
released a song titled "The Melancholy of Departure" on their collaborative album We Begin
.
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
-Italian
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
metaphysical painter
Metaphysical art
Metaphysical art , style of painting that flourished mainly between 1911 and 1920 in the works of the Italian artists Giorgio de Chirico and Carlo Carrà. The movement began with Chirico, whose dreamlike works with sharp contrasts of light and shadow often had a vaguely threatening, mysterious quality...
Giorgio de Chirico
Giorgio de Chirico
Giorgio de Chirico was a pre-Surrealist and then Surrealist Italian painter born in Volos, Greece, to a Genovese mother and a Sicilian father. He founded the scuola metafisica art movement...
. Many of de Chirico’s works were inspired by the introspective feelings evoked by travel. He was born in Greece to Italian parents. This work was painted during a period when he lived in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
.
The painting depicts the Gare Montparnasse
Gare Montparnasse
Paris Montparnasse is one of the six large terminus railway stations of Paris, located in the Montparnasse area in the XIVe arrondissement. The station was opened in 1840, and rebuilt completely in 1969...
train station in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. It is a classic example of de Chirico’s style, depicting an angular perspective on an outdoor architectural setting in the long shadows and deep colors of early evening. On the horizon is a steam train with a plume of white smoke billowing away from it. The train image appears several times in de Chirico's work. In the foreground is a bunch of bananas, another recurring image in de Chirico's work (cf. Le Rêve Transformé
Le Rêve Transformé
Le Rêve Transformé is a 1913 painting by the Greek-Italian metaphysical painter Giorgio de Chirico. This work contains the classic de Chirico images of an empty urban scene at late evening with a ghostly train on the horizon. This time in the foreground is an arrangement of bananas, pineapples and...
).
In 1916, de Chirico painted another work simply titled The Melancholy of Departure
The Melancholy of Departure
The Melancholy of Departure is a painting by the Greek-Italian metaphysical painter Giorgio de Chirico. This painting was created after de Chirico returned to Italy from Paris to join the Italian Army in World War I....
. In 1987, the American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
musicians Mark Isham
Mark Isham
Mark Isham is an American trumpeter, synthesist, and film composer. He works in a variety of genres, including jazz, electronic, and film.-Life and career:...
and Art Lande
Art Lande
Art Lande is a jazz pianist, drummer, composer and educator.Born in New York City, he began piano at age 4, studied at Williams College, and moved to the San Francisco Bay Area in 1969. He made the first record of his own compositions in 1973 for ECM Records, in a duo with saxophonist/flutist Jan...
released a song titled "The Melancholy of Departure" on their collaborative album We Begin
We Begin
We Begin is a collaborative album by the American jazz musicians Mark Isham and Art Lande. It is a highly experimental album featuring a wide range of compositional styles....
.