Sixteenth century artist Giuseppe Arcimboldo followed in the footsteps of his father, Biagio, training in stained glass and fresco painting. But it was this imaginative Italian’s curious take on portraits—composite heads composed of flowers, fruits, and other inanimate objects—that have defined his legacy.
1. ARCIMBOLDO EXPLORED HIS STYLE AS A COURT PAINTER.
Holy Roman Emperor Ferdinand I first claimed the artist and his talents for Vienna in 1562, where Arcimboldo served as court painter for his son and successor Maximilian II. He continued with the Habsburgs under Maximilian II, and when Rudolf II moved the court from Vienna to Prague, Arcimboldo made the move as well. In honor of Maximilian II, Arcimboldo began experimenting, creating The Four Seasons, a series of portraits in profile that constructed faces out of blooming blossoms, swollen gourds, withered roots, and ripe grain. He also dabbled in interior design and costume creations.
2. HIS ROYAL PORTRAITS BUCKED CONVENTION.
Arcimboldo didn’t just personify the seasons with produce. His most famous piece is a portrait of Holy Roman Emperor Rudolf II, who was so fond of having his likeness captured that he contracted several acclaimed artists to do so. Germany’s Hans von Aachen presented the emperor with a frilly collar and a generous chin. Dutch sculptor Adrian de Vries made a regal bust of the monarch. Arcimboldo reimagined him as Vertumnus, the Roman God of plant life, building his cheeks with peaches, his neck with chives, and his hair with grapes and grain.
3. NOT ALL OF HIS PORTRAITS WERE ORGANIC.
The Librarian built a scholar out of books. The Waiter constructed a server out of barrels and bottles. The Jurist utilized books, a chicken carcass, and a bit of fish.
4. ARCIMBOLDO WAS A MASTER OF CAPRICCIOSA AND SCHERZI.
These words translate loosely to whimsical and games. The artist’s mosaic masterpieces were intended to be playful, entertaining, and humorous, sometimes at others’ expense.
5. ONE PIECE MAY BE THROWING SHADE.
Art historians suspect The Jurist is a depiction of Maximilian’s duplicitous vice-chancellor, Ulrich Zasius. Rather than a face radiant with natural beauty and color, the two-faced Zasius is constructed out of mud-colored plucked poultry and fecund fish, clearly illustrating Arcimboldo’s disdain.
6. ARCIMBOLDO TOOK NATURE SERIOUSLY.
Arcimboldo’s works may be playful, but he and his contemporaries were fascinated by the beauty and grotesqueness…
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