Giuseppe Arcimboldo (1527-1593)

Giuseppe Arcimboldo
(1527-1593)


Giuseppe Arcimboldo was famous all over Europe during his lifetime but became a virtual unknown after his death in 1593. No one had previously painted his type of abstruse, fantasy Art. Most of his original paintings have been ‘lost’ over the years but those we do have are now regarded as the masterpieces they truly are. His work underwent a ‘revival’ toward the end of the 19th century and has been gaining in popularity ever since. Apart from these unusual fantasy pictures, he probably painted many more traditional ones, but most of these are among the ‘lost’ European works of art, they have simply disappeared.

Art Sunday; Giuseppe Arcimboldo

Giuseppe Arcimboldo
(1527-1593)

Giuseppe Arcimboldo was famous all over Europe during his lifetime but became a virtual unknown after his death in 1593. No one had previously painted his type of abstruse, fantasy Art. Most of his original paintings have been ‘lost’ over the years but those we do have are now regarded as the masterpieces they truly are. His work underwent a ‘revival’ toward the end of the 19th century and has been gaining in popularity ever since. Apart from these unusual fantasy pictures, he probably painted many more traditional ones, but most of these are among the ‘lost’ European works of art, they have simply disappeared.

In 1562, Giuseppe Arcimboldo became a court painter of Emperor Ferdinand I (Habsburg) and set up home in Vienna, after which he moved to Prague. During his 2 years, service to  Ferdinand I, he painted several portraits of the Imperial family as well as the first series of his Four Seasons. The artistic concept of these pictures of 1563 was unique and laid the foundation of Arcimboldo’s success as a painter. It is well documented  that the Monarchs of Europe and most of  his contemporaries were enthusiastic and appreciative of his unique style. His uniqueness made him a favourite of several Habsburg Emperors.

When Emperor Ferdinand I died, in 1564, he was succeeded by Emperor Maximilian II (1527-1576), Arcimboldo continued as court artist for Maximilian.
A large number of pictures were painted between 1564 and 1576, but only very few of them are known to us: Water and Fire (1566), The Lawyer (1566), The Cook (1570) another series of the Four Seasons in 1572, two series of Four Seasons in 1573, including Spring (1573), Summer (1573), Autumn (1573), Winter (1573).

In 1575 Arcimboldo was commissioned to paint several works for the private chambers of the Emperor, in addition too painting, Arcimboldo also had other Court duties at the Imperial court. He acted as architect, stage designer, engineer, water engineer and art specialist. Due to his extensive knowledge he was able to influence Emperor Maximilian II on a variety of issues. After Maximilian II, Emperor Rudolph II (1552-1612) also took Arcimboldo into his service. The eleven years Arcimboldo spent with Rudolph II became the best and most productive of his career.


Comparatively little is known of Arcimboldo’s activities as an artist at the Imperial court, we know he painted The Four Seasons twice in 1577, he dedicated a red leather folio containing 150 pen-and-ink drawings to the Emperor in 1585, and that he organized a number of festive processions and tournaments during that same year. He is a completely unique, original and multi-talented man whose genius was forgotten for many, many years. The rest of his amasing paintings are in an album here;
http://forgetmenot525.multiply.com/photos/album/220/Giuseppe_Arcimboldo_1527-1593