Arcim
414 mots
2 pages
We have chosen to talk about a painting by Arcimboldo, an italien painter born in Milan in 1527/ He was mainly known for his imaginative portrait heads made of objects such as fruits, vegetables, flowers, fish, books.. He was part of the mannerist mouvement which started in Italy in the 16th century. This painting is a portrait and is one of a series of four, which each represent a season. Ours is summer. The four portraits were painted in 1563 and given to Maximilien II in 1569. The originals are exposed in Vienna and the most famous copy is exposed in the Louvre in Paris. As you can see, Summer is composed of fruits and vegetables of the season which make the bust. The eye is a black cherry, the nose is a courgette, the check in a pod and cherries for the lips. The chin is made of pears, the head and hair is a mixture of grapes and leaves and the neck is wheat. There are also aubergines, corn, nuts, onions, potatoes which make up the rest of the face. There is an artichoke next to the men as it he was holding it, although his hand is not visible. Summer is the season of harvest which is why the garment is why the garment is made of weave weat. The collar is signed and dated, it is the only portrait where this is the case. The golden colour dominates which adds to the the feeling of summer, warm sun and peace. The background is very dark, almost black which contrast with the bright colours of the face. Flowers frame the portrait, only on the copy. When you close up to the painting, one only sees the collection of vegetables but from a distance, appears an elderly man who is smiling. He symbolizes a season : Summer. This painting is full of allegories and symbols. Vegetables and fruits are elements of daily life represented in a naturalist way. Now we're going to analyze the technic which is used by Arcimboldo. It's an innovating technic, inspired by Leonard de Vinci. It's an assembly of vegetables, a juxtaposition.