Giorgio de Chirico s idiosyncratic symbolic style had a powerful influence on 20th-century art, and in particular on Surrealism. His strange landscapes, featuring classical statues, Italian piazzas, sinister shadows, geometric objects and mannequins are filled with enigma. This volume focuses on the artists mysterious and fascinating representations of the human form and describes how events and friendships in his life influenced his artistic development. At a young age de Chirico was deeply impressed by Arnold Bocklins painting of Odysseus on the island of Calypso.