Guiseppe Arcimboldo

Guiseppe ArcimboldoArcimboldo was

born in Milan in 1527. He was the son of another artist, Biagio Arcimboldo. Giuseppe Arcimboldo showed such extraordinary talent that none other than Leonardo da Vinci accepted him as a student

Guiseppe ArcimboldoArcimboldo was so

talented that very wealthy people employed him to paint portraits of them.

But there was something unusual about the way Guiseppe painted their portraits. Can you see why?...

Guiseppe ArcimboldoWhat’s strange

about Arcimboldo’s works is that in many he used items from nature, especially foods, such as fruits and vegetables. For example, a pear is used as a nose, apples as cheeks, grapes, cherries, leaves as hair, and so forth.

Guiseppe Arcimboldo

When looked at from a distance these portraits look human, but as you move in closer, they become more like a bizarre collections of fruits. Take a look…

Guiseppe Arcimboldo

Some of his portraits were clever illusions. Look at this one. It looks like a bowl of fruits and vegetables.

Guiseppe ArcimboldoBut… when you

turn it upside down, the bowl becomes a hat over the face of a man with apples for cheeks and grapes for lips. It’s remarkable.

Guiseppe ArcimboldoNext week, you are going to have a go

at making your own fruit and vegetable portraits.

Now, make a plan, think about what you will use for the:

• Eyes• Nose• Mouth• Hair