(1888-1978) Georgio de Chirico was an Italian artist and founder of the scuola metafisica art movement but later in life turned to a neoclassical or neo-Baroque style. Scuola metafisica paintings feature sharp contrasts of light and shadow and often have a vaguely threatening, mysterious quality. de Chirico studied at the Academy of Fine Arts in Munich. He had a strong influence on surrealist artists with Yves Tanguy writing he was so impressed by one of de Chirico’s paintings he resolved on the spot to become an artist.

The Red Tower by Giorgio de Chirico. Oil on canvas, 1913. Guggenheim Museum (via Wikipedia)