Kevin: Arcimbodo's Vegetable Portraits (1527-1593)

"Summer" (the image I remembered from the Louvre)

"Flora"

"Vegetable Gardner"

I first became fascinated with Giuseppe Arcimboldo (1527-1593) when I saw one of his pieces at the Louvre. After seeing portrait after portrait of old white men, Arcimboldo's work was a welcome reprieve. I love how he uses the irregular shapes of vegetables to mimic the complexities human bodies. I have always wondered if his portraits resemble actual people or if he simply pieced together vegetables for a fictitious portrait.

Returning to our earlier thread about originality, Arcimboldo's work is unlike anything else during the time period. I associate his work much more with Surrealism, who rediscovered and popularized his work in the 20th century. To sum it up, I love all of the colors and unique shapes. Arcimbodo's portraits really stand out from the rest and force the viewer pause, leaving a lasting memory.

Here is a link to a wikipedia article with more info about the artist: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giuseppe_Arcimboldo