Giuseppe Arcimboldo
Giuseppe Arcimboldo (also spelled Arcimboldi; 1527 - July 11, 1593) was an Italian painter best known for creating imaginative portrait heads made entirely of such objects as fruits, vegetables, flowers, fish, and books. (https://www.giuseppe-arcimboldo.org/)
After showcasing my previous work to peers, I was recommended to look at the work of Arcimboldo due to the similarities between his work and mine. See below.
Although our styles are not entirely the same, they are not poles apart either. They are similar in the way that we both use influences of nature to create portraits, until there is less human than nature left.
I was thrilled to see Arcimboldo's use of flowers in his pieces, such as the piece above and below.
These pieces are surreal, and could be described as UNCANNY because of their closeness to human resemblance, without being real.
I think they are lovely. The bright, warming colours make the image inviting and aesthetically pleasing.
Arcimboldo's art was released in the 1500s, in the midst of the Renaissance art period.
(This is another way that his art relates to mine, as peer feedback related my work to Renaissance portraits.)
Arcimboldo begun with religious paintings, and even stained glass window design - he was a man of many talents, but his surreal portraits were the main fascination of his portfolio. He explored surrealism, without breaking boundaries that would not appeal to his audiences.
Art critics debate whether these paintings were whimsical or the product of a deranged mind. A majority of scholars hold to the view, however, that given the Renaissance fascination with riddles, puzzles, and the bizarre (see, for example, the grotesque heads of Leonardo da Vinci, a fellow Milanese), Arcimboldo, far from being mentally imbalanced, catered to the taste of his times.
Reference: https://www.giuseppe-arcimboldo.org/biography.html
Arcimboldo is known for his work inspired by the four seasons. Above is winter, which remains full of life and vitality despite the nature of the season. Jonathon Jones comments on this in an article. https://www.theguardian.com/books/2008/apr/26/art.art
"Arcimboldo's nature is superabundant. Even in abeyance, it is rich and full: in deepest midwinter, it is busy. His Winter is a twisted, gnarled tree stump, and yet, far from being denuded of leaves and life, it is encrusted with parasitic growth: ivy proliferates in the woody roots of its hair, its white lips are tree fungi, two lemons hang on a sprig. Veins bulge from its bark."
I enjoy the abundance and life in Arcimboldo's work, even in a season such as Winter which is meant to be dead and cold. The life of the nature gives the piece energy and gives the "man or woman" underneath a personality.
I think that a piece full of life and health is more welcoming to the viewer, and commands their eye to look deeper into it.
I strive to reach that own level of life and abundance in my own work. I enjoy the life and warmth that Arcimboldo has created in a season that SHOULD be dead and cold.
The contrast is interesting and I think it relates to my own images below.
In this image especially, there is tension between the flowers and the face. The face does not look happy, but the flowers are vibrant and joyful. Contrast and juxtaposition.
I decided to experiment briefly with using fruit like Arcimboldo.
The fruit image is a royalty free stock image from google images.
The results are very strange, and they make me feel uneasy.
The top image has strong eye contact. The eyes overthrow the fruit and demands you to look at her face.
The two things are familiar (fruit, and faces) but are not usually placed together. I would call these pieces uncanny.
For extra surrealism, I changed the colours of these pieces into something unrealistic and alienlike.
I think that it works very well in confusing the eye, because it is not often that you see purple fruit. There is a lot to look at and it is all confusing / uncanny.
FRIDA KAHLO
I was also encouraged to look at Frida Kahlo's work due to her use of portraiture, pattern and nature.
Frida Kahlo was a Mexican painter who took inspiration from the nature of Mexico.
She captured herself in many self portraits.
I was encouraged to look at Frida Kahlo when exhibiting this image to peers:
I can see the associations between surrealism, natural elements and portraiture.
Frida Kahlo painted herself more than anything else, and when asked why, she said:
"I paint self-portraits because I am so often alone, because I am the person I know best."
Her work is typically described as surreal, although Kahlo herself would argue that point.
"They thought I was a Surrealist, but I wasn't. I never painted dreams. I painted my own reality."
I find it intriguing and refreshing that Kahlo captures herself realistically, with "imperfections" and all. For example, her monobrow and slight moustache. She had the option to leave them out of the painting, but she insisted to add them in despite how these features may have been perceived.
Her perception of herself is genuine and unrefined, which I find admirable.
I also admire that Kahlo never found the need to paint herself smiling, but the paintings carry a happy aura regardless. Her vivid use of colour and nature makes every piece welcoming and joyful, but her face is still stone cold and serious. The contrast is effective. It relates back to my own imagery, again.
Her incorporation of nature and portraiture is very effective, and I enjoy how they begin to overlap one another. Kahlo is often portrayed in and amongst nature, with vines / animals / flowers on her shoulders, head, or around her neck.
The flowers on her head are the features that most blatantly relate to my work, and they are also the most memorable features of her work. When I think of a Frida Kahlo painting, I think immediately of her flower crowns.
I saw similarities between Kahlo's work, and this specific work of art from Arcimboldo.
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