Arcimboldo

Let's talk about Art!

Who: Giuseppe Arcimboldo
When: Born in 1526, Died in 1592
Where: Born in Milan, traveled to Lombardy, worked in Vienna, then Prague, finally returned to Milan
What: an amazing artist you have probably never heard of before
For more information: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giuseppe_Arcimboldo

Arcimboldo is best known for his detailed and fanciful portraits, most of which are made up of a variety of plants, animals and objects put together to create a person. The individual pieces of each portrait contribute to the overall sense of who the person is that is being portrayed. Every detail is built from smaller objects and items to provide a sense of who the person in the portrait actually is. In the portrait of Spring, featured below, over 80 different species of flowers have been identified.

Arcimboldo was greatly influenced by Leonardo da Vinci, who had spent considerable time in Milan as a court artist. Historians report that much of Arcimboldo's early work was done as a natural illustrator of birds, plants, and animals, all of which were completed in the style of da Vinci. During his lifetime Arcimboldo served Maximillian II, who became Holy Roman Emperor in 1564, and Rudolf II, who succeeded his father in 1576.

Throughout his years serving the Roman Emperors Arcimboldo painted many portraits of the court (few of which have survived) as well as the more fanciful compositions I have included here. In his later years he explored the challenge of reversible paintings, such as the one above, which can be viewed from the top OR the bottom. In this case the painting is either a bowl of produce or a gardener. I suppose for the fickle art lover this is the best of both worlds, you can have a still life one day and a portrait the next!