Giuseppe Arcimboldo facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Giuseppe Arcimboldo
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Self-portrait, now in National Gallery in Prague, Google Art Project
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| Born | 1527 |
| Died | 11 July 1593 (aged 66–67) |
| Nationality | Italian |
| Known for | Painting |
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Notable work
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The Librarian, 1566 Vertumnus, 1590–1591 |
Giuseppe Arcimboldo (also spelled Arcimboldi) (1526 or 1527 – 11 July 1593) was an Italian painter. He is famous for creating amazing head portraits. These portraits were made entirely out of everyday objects. He used things like fruits, vegetables, flowers, fish, and even books!
These special artworks are very different from his other paintings. He was also a regular court painter for three Holy Roman Emperors. He worked in Vienna and Prague. He painted religious scenes and drew exotic animals. He was known for his unique way of arranging objects into human shapes.
His still-life portraits were meant to be fun and surprising for the royal court. Some art experts think they also had deeper meanings. They might have connected to big ideas of his time.
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Biography of Giuseppe Arcimboldo
Giuseppe's father, Biagio Arcimboldo, was also an artist in Milan. Giuseppe started his art career when he was 21 years old. He designed stained glass and frescoes for churches.
In 1562, he became a court artist for Ferdinand I, Holy Roman Emperor. He worked for the Habsburg royal family in Vienna, Austria. Later, he worked for Maximilian II, Holy Roman Emperor and his son Rudolf II, Holy Roman Emperor in Prague. He also designed decorations and costumes for the court. Other important people, like Augustus, Elector of Saxony, admired his work. They even asked him to make copies of his famous The Four Seasons paintings.
Arcimboldo painted many traditional religious pictures. But these works are mostly forgotten today. His unique portraits, made of vegetables, plants, fruits, and sea creatures, are still very popular. People loved them in his time, and they still fascinate us now.
How Arcimboldo Created His Art
From a distance, his special portraits looked like normal human faces. But if you looked closely, you would see that each part was made of different objects. He carefully arranged these objects to form human features. The objects he chose were not random. They were connected to the person or idea he was painting.
For example, in his painting The Librarian, he used objects related to books. The curtain in the painting looked like the small study areas in old libraries. Animal tails, which formed the beard, were used as dusters for books. By using everyday items, his paintings were both decorations and still-life artworks. His art showed how connected nature and people can be.
Some people thought his paintings were funny or even made fun of them. For instance, The Librarian might have seemed silly. But it also hinted at a criticism of rich people. It suggested that some wealthy people collected books just to own them, not to read them.
Art experts sometimes wonder if his paintings were just playful or if they came from a troubled mind. Most experts agree that Arcimboldo was not troubled. During the Renaissance, people loved riddles, puzzles, and strange things. Arcimboldo simply created art that fit the tastes of his time. Even famous artists like Leonardo da Vinci drew unusual "grotesque" heads.
Arcimboldo eventually retired from his work in Prague. He moved back to Milan, where he later died. During his retirement, he painted the portrait of Rudolf II and his own self-portrait as the Four Seasons. Artists and writers in Italy honored him with poems and writings about his amazing career.
In 1648, the Swedish army took many of Arcimboldo's paintings. This happened when they invaded Prague during the Thirty Years' War. The paintings were taken from Rudolf II's collection.
Where to See Arcimboldo's Art
You can find Arcimboldo's works in many museums around the world. Some are in Vienna's Kunsthistorisches Museum and the Habsburg Schloss Ambras in Innsbruck. Others are in the Louvre in Paris and various museums in Sweden. In Italy, his art is in Cremona, Brescia, and the Uffizi Gallery in Florence.
In the United States, you can see his paintings at the Wadsworth Atheneum in Hartford, Connecticut. Also, at the Denver Art Museum in Denver, Colorado, and the Menil Foundation in Houston, Texas. The Candie Museum in Guernsey and the Real Academia de Bellas Artes de San Fernando in Madrid also have his works.
Arcimboldo is known as a 16th-century Mannerist painter. Mannerism was an art style from about 1520 to 1590. It took ideas from the High Renaissance and influenced the later Baroque period. Mannerist artists often showed close connections between humans and nature. Arcimboldo certainly did this in his portraits.
For example, in his painting The Spring, the human face is made only of different spring flowers and plants. Every part, from the hat to the neck, lips, and nose, is made of flowers. The body is made of plants. In contrast, in The Winter, the person is mostly made of tree roots. Leaves from evergreen trees and branches form the hair, and a straw mat becomes the clothing.
Arcimboldo's Legacy and Influence
Arcimboldo's unique artworks were largely forgotten for a while. But they were rediscovered in the early 1900s. Surrealist artists, like Salvador Dalí, were especially interested in his multiple images and visual puzzles.
An art show in Venice in 1987, called "The Arcimboldo Effect," showed many paintings with "double meanings." This show highlighted Arcimboldo's influence. You can also see his style in the works of artists like Shigeo Fukuda and István Orosz. His art has even inspired films by Jan Švankmajer.
Some scientists use Arcimboldo's works to study how our brains work. Psychologists and neuroscientists use them to understand how different parts of the brain recognize images and objects.
Gallery
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Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian II. of Austria and his wife Infanta Maria of Spain with their children, around 1563, Ambras Castle
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The Jurist, 1566, Nationalmuseum, Sweden
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The Librarian, 1566, oil on canvas, Skokloster Castle, Sweden
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The Waiter, 1574
Four Seasons Paintings
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Spring, 1563 Real Academia de Bellas Artes de San Fernando, Madrid
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Summer, 1563, Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna
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Autumn, 1573, Louvre Museum, Paris
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Winter, 1563, Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna
Four Elements Paintings
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Air, around 1566, (copy), private collection
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Fire, Oil on Wood, 1566, Kunsthistorisches Museum Vienna, Austria
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Earth, possibly 1566, private collection, Austria
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Water, 1566, Kunsthistorisches Museum Vienna, Austria
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See also
In Spanish: Giuseppe Arcimboldo para niños
