“The Prodigal Son” by Giorgio de Chirico, completed in 1922 in Rome, Italy, is an oil on canvas painting measuring 59 x 87 cm. This artwork is part of the Metaphysical art movement and is housed in the Galleria d’Arte Moderna in Milan, Italy. It is an allegorical painting.
The artwork depicts a vividly surreal and mysterious scene characteristic of de Chirico’s metaphysical style. In the painting, two figures are prominently featured against a backdrop of classical architecture and an expansive landscape under a cloudy sky. The foreground shows one figure clad in vibrant, anatomically exaggerated attire and the other draped in a simpler, pale garment. The figures’ faces are obfuscated; one is painted in a solid red hue while the other remains blank, suggesting a lack of individuality. The two engage in a gesture that can be interpreted as an embrace, imbued with both intimacy and ambiguity. This composition evokes a sense of enigma and introspection, inviting the viewer to delve into its symbolic and allegorical meanings.