Italian painter
In the
middle of the sixteenth century Arcimboldo made a normal debut with works including designs for windows and
tapestries in Milan and Monza cathedrals and frescos for the cathedral of Como (Italy).
In 1562 he was invited
to the Imperial court in Prague immediately his original and grotesque
fantasy appeared.
He invented a portrait
type consisting of painted animals, flowers, fruit, and objects composed to
form a human appearance.
Some consider him the
forerunner of Surrealism in the 20th century, but his context is at the end of
the Renaissance.
This was a time when
people (collectors and scientists) were starting to give more attention to
nature.
Arcimboldo created in
the court of Prague, costumes, set designs, and decorations.
Emperor Rudolf II asked
him to find and buy works of art and natural curiosities, as well as giving him
numerous commands for paintings.
The cOOk, 1570
The Vegetable Gardener, 1587-1590
Reversible Head with Basket of FrUit
1590
Flora, 1591
Vertumnus, 1590
Four Seasons in One Head, 1590
The Librarian, 1566
The Waiter, 1574
Air, 1566
Water, 1566
Earth, 1566
