Giuseppe Arcimboldo
Giuseppe Arcimboldo began his career painting tradition religious subject matter as a court painter, but was most admired for his whimsical optical-illusion portraits made from objects traditionally found in still lifes, like animals and fruit. Each of these unusual portraits were created to have the illusion of a normal human anatomy from a distance, and only once the viewer examines more closely do they notice that they are not at all normal. Despite their peculiar features, Arcimboldo’s portraits never included random objects, but were thoughtfully planned out according to the subject of the portrait; for example, a portrait of an admiral is made entirely of sea creatures.
Editorial (2)
Six of Art’s Best Tricks of the Eye
Illusion in art may feel like a recent phenomena, but it’s been around since cave paintings. With each new era, artists have…
The Hypnotic Harvests of Giuseppe Arcimboldo
In this series, the curatorial team presents one work from the Meural art library we find essential. (See all installments.)…