Giuseppe Arcimboldo

Giuseppe Arcimboldo (1527 – July 11, 1593), who created during the transition from the Renaissance to Mannerism, is still considered one of the more “mysterious” artists today. , as he left nothing written about his works. He made his mark in the history of painting mainly through his portraits of fruits, vegetables, plants, animals and inorganic substances. It is known that he enjoyed great fame during his lifetime, then soon sank into oblivion, and was pulled “out of mothballs” again by the surrealists in the 20th century, who declared him to be their predecessor. The artist’s imagination was also greatly admired by Salvador Dali.

It was not until the 20th century that art historians discovered that Arcimboldo was not a descendant of a noble family as they first assumed, but of the Milanese painter Biagio Arcimboldo, who was Milan Cathedral in charge of window paintings. The father also introduced his son to his work and Giuseppe made his debut with his first paintings at the age of 22. In 1562, Arcimboldo responded to the invitation of Emperor Ferdinand I and went to Prague. He became his court painter, and after his death he remained in the same position with his son Maksimilian II. and his successor Rudolf II. All three were great fans of Arcimbold‘s works and rewarded him richly for them.
In 1587, he returned to his homeland, where he also died in 1593 and, despite the fame he enjoyed during his lifetime, soon sank into oblivion. In the 20th century, he was revived again by the surrealists, who mentioned him as their predecessor.