Summer - 1563
Kunsthistorisches Museum - Vienna, Austria
Last year, I had the fortune to visit Vienna and one of my top priorities was to spend a hole day at the fantastique Kunsthistorisches Museum. There I could see, for the first time, “alive” some of the most famous master pieces from Giuseppe Arcimboldo (1527-93). Arcimboldo was an italian painter known for creating imaginative portraits made entirely of objects, as fruits, vegetables, flowers, fish and books, arranging them in such a way that the paintings formed a recognizable portrait subject. During his life time, Arcimboldo was highly successful. In 1562, he became court portraitist to Ferdinand I, Holy Roman Emperor at the Habsburg Court, in Vienna. According to Morigia in his “Historia dell'Antichitd di Milano”, dated 1592, we can have some clues about the happy association between the monarch and the painter:
"In 1562 Arcimboldo left his country and joined the Emperor's court, where he was liked and treated well and received with great kindness, and the Emperor gave him a good salary worthy of his merits and also showed his affection in many other ways. And so our Arcimboldo lived a very fulfilling and honorable life at the Imperial court, not only for him (Ferdinand), but also the entire court, not only with his paintings, but also many other works of art and pieces of woodwork for occasions such as tournaments, games, weddings, coronations, and especially when Archduke Charles of Austria took a wife. This noble and inspired man fashioned a great number of rare and delicate works of art which caused considerable amazement among all the illustrious noblemen who used to congregate there, and his lord and master (Ferdinand) was very pleased with him.”
Arcimboldo died in Milan, to which he retired after leaving the Prague service. It was during this last phase of his career that he produced the composite portrait of Rudolph II, as well as his self-portrait as the Four Seasons. His Italian contemporaries honored him with poetry and manuscripts celebrating his illustrious career which would be revived by the end of the nineteenth century with the beginning of the surrealistic movement.
Source: Wikipedia, Tansin Pickeral, net
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