A Painter of Wonder
The term metaxis (Greek μεταξές — “between”) can have meaning in both physical space and time, although it is primarily a philosophical concept. In practice, “in the meantime” or “on the border” describes a status such as sunset (between day and night) or a geographical location on the border of two countries.
In astronomy and navigation, where spherical trigonometry is used, positions on the Earth or in the sky often lie “between” known points — for example, at the moment of crossing the equator or polar night. Such points can be seen as metaxis — not in the strict geometric sense, but as a philosophical-mathematical metaphor for liminality.
Thus, although metaxis is not a mathematical quantity, its spirit can be recognized in moments and positions that are “in transition” — between space, time, and state.
... indeed my main interest is in art to which metaxis is relevant as in for example explaining the enigmatic effect of the metaphysical paintings of Giorgio de Chirico
Yes, metaxis is highly relevant to the art of Giorgio de Chirico, particularly his Metaphysical paintings, which evoke an enigmatic, liminal atmosphere — a space "between" reality and dream, presence and absence, time and timelessness.
De Chirico’s work creates a sense of metaphysical estrangement through:
- Empty piazzas with elongated shadows, suggesting a moment suspended between day and night.
- Juxtapositions of incongruous objects (e.g., classical statues, mannequins, clocks, and trains) placed in impossible architectural spaces, evoking a world "in-between" logic and mystery.
- A timeless stillness, where past (antiquity) and present (modern objects) coexist, disrupting linear time.
This in-between state — the metaxis — is central to the emotional and philosophical impact of his art. It reflects what de Chirico called the “enigma” of existence: not a puzzle to solve, but a condition to experience. His paintings do not depict a physical location so much as a psychic and metaphysical space — the mind standing between meaning and mystery.
Thus, metaxis offers a powerful lens for understanding the haunting, dreamlike quality of de Chirico’s work — a world poised on the threshold of revelation, yet forever withheld.
... Picasso dismissed de Chirico as "a painter of train stations" which while insightful does not credit de Chirico's talent for expressing the experience of time artistically
While Picasso reportedly dismissed Giorgio de Chirico as “a painter of train stations,” this critique overlooks the profound metaphysical depth of de Chirico’s work—particularly his artistic expression of time.
A number of De Chirico’s paintings, such as “The Enigma of the Hour” and “The Mystery and Melancholy of a Street”, feature railway stations, towers, and trains, but these are not literal depictions. Instead, they serve as symbols of temporal suspension—a world frozen between departure and arrival, past and future, consciousness and dream.
His use of elongated shadows, empty piazzas, and distorted perspective creates a timeless stillness, evoking what he called the “metaphysical moment”: an instant when reality becomes strange, and thought pauses. The train, often distant and silent, symbolizes movement just out of reach—time passing beyond human grasp.
Thus, far from being merely a “painter of train stations,” de Chirico used these motifs to explore the inner experience of time—memory, anticipation, alienation—making him a pivotal figure in the art of temporal enigma.
Waiting for a train is an instance of a liminal experience in which time feels suspended. You are somewhere, yet nowhere; you exist in a pause, defined by what has passed and what is to come. This mirrors de Chirico’s iconography of trains in his paintings, lending a sense of emptiness and silence heightening the sense of metaphysical waiting.
In this sense, the train station becomes a modern archetype of metaxis—a physical space where time, space, and human consciousness converge in suspension.
... introducing "silence" as a feature of de Chirico's art is helpful because it is also my opinion is that Painting can be defined as 'the expression of silence' -otherwise an apparent contradiction
Yes, silence is a defining feature of de Chirico’s art and aligns powerfully with your view that painting can be defined as “the expression of silence.”
De Chirico himself wrote about the “Leopardian silence” in his work—a silence not of absence, but of intensity, charged with anticipation and metaphysical tension. His empty piazzas, motionless statues, and deserted arcades are not voids, but spaces where thought, memory, and emotion resonate precisely because of the silence.
As philosopher Jean-Louis Chrétien notes, painting’s silence is not deprivation—it is a communicative silence, akin to the rests in music that give rhythm meaning. De Chirico’s canvases invite the viewer into this silence, where time halts and the ordinary becomes enigmatic. The title of his late work, “The Muse of Silence” (1973) confirms this: silence is not passive, but a creative force, the very condition in which metaphysical insight arises.
Thus, far from a contradiction, the idea that painting expresses silence captures the essence of de Chirico’s art—and much of modern painting itself.
... the relevance of art to metaxis is its mediating effect as in-between consciousness and objects of consciousness
Yes, the relevance of art to metaxis lies in its mediating role between consciousness and the object of consciousness. Art does not merely represent the world—it stands between the perceiver and reality, creating a space where meaning, emotion, and perception intersect. In de Chirico’s work, for example, the painted scene is not just a city or statue, but a threshold experience—the viewer’s consciousness is drawn into the stillness, the shadow, the silence, creating a dialogue between inner thought and outer form.
This aligns with philosopher William Desmond, who describes metaxis as a "between", where self and world, subject and object, meet; not as opposites, but as co-participants in meaning-making. Art, in this sense, is not decoration or imitation, but a metaxological event: a dynamic in-between that reveals the tension and connection between mind and world.
The Greek word Metaxis (μεταξύ) meaning "between" or "in-between," was originally used by Plato to describe the human condition as existing in a liminal state between opposing poles, such as the human and the divine, or the spiritual and the physical. This concept has been developed by later philosophers, including the Neoplatonist Plotinus, who saw humans as being between god and animal.
In the 20th-century, thinkers like Eric Voegelin, Simone Weil, and William Desmond, expanded metaxis into broader philosophical frameworks concerning consciousness, compassion, and metaphysical thought. In contemporary discourse, metaxis is also linked to the concept of meta-modernism, a proposed postpostmodern paradigm, in which "meta-" denotes the Greek term.