Italian painting style, developed in 1917 by Giorgio de
Chirico and Carlo Carrà. It tried to create a sense of mystery through the use of dreamlike imagery; human beings were often represented as tailors' dummies, and objects appeared in strange, unfamiliar contexts. Reacting against both
cubism and
Futurism, metaphysical painting paved the way for
surrealism, particularly in its use of familiar, everyday objects in absurd compositions. Though short-lived only lasting to the early 1920s its influence was considerable.
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