A Case for the Arcimboldo Self-portrait
Giuseppe Arcimboldo was a 16th Century Italian painter best known for creating portrait heads made up of objects such as fruit, vegetables, fish, and books. At a quick glance Arcimboldo’s pieces look like normal human portraits; however, on closer inspection the colourful and imaginative use of different objects becomes apparent.
The objects were not chosen at random. They were carefully selected to reflect the characteristics of his model. He often used fruit and vegetables to represent man’s affinity with nature; and he also used books to signify the scholarly nature of certain models.
Arcimboldo’s work was rediscovered at the beginning of the 20th Century and inspired the Surrealist movement, particularly Salvador Dali.
There is great therapeutic value to introspective endeavours such as these. Why not give it a go yourself? Carefully consider and then select objects which you feel represent you and reflect your characteristics. How interesting to see one’s salient traits reflected in inanimate objects.
Published: September 30th, 2014