Summer Giuseppe Arcimboldo (1526-1593)
Giuseppe Arcimboldo – Summer
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Image taken from other album: gallerix.org/s/2776464080/N/55113371/
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Painter: Giuseppe Arcimboldo
Location: Louvre (Musée du Louvre), Paris.
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Created in 1573 Materials: canvas, oil. Dimensions: 76 by 63.5 cm. Exhibited at the Louvre, Paris, France. Another similar canvas, but painted ten years earlier, is in the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna. The artist was called a classic only in the 20th century, when his distinctive work was rediscovered. It is memorable for its unique allegorical works, in which people are depicted with the help of completely different things, from birds or seashells to books and tongues of flame.
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Description of the painting "Summer" by Giuseppe Arcimboldo
Created in 1573 Materials: canvas, oil. Dimensions: 76 by 63.5 cm. Exhibited at the Louvre, Paris, France. Another similar canvas, but painted ten years earlier, is in the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna.
The artist was called a classic only in the 20th century, when his distinctive work was rediscovered. It is memorable for its unique allegorical works, in which people are depicted with the help of completely different things, from birds or seashells to books and tongues of flame. What is unique is that no one had done this before Arcimboldo in the 16th century; he is even considered the forefather of Surrealism.
This work symbolizes summer from the cycle The Seasons, which consists of four stylistically similar anthropomorphic portraits. In a complex and over-saturated composition they convey to the viewer the very essence of each season. This one in the author’s vision appears as a mature woman with an attractive figure and a mysterious smile, visible even in an open pea pod. She is dressed in a straw blouse decorated along the collar and sleeves with ears of ripe wheat; if you look closely you can make out the year of painting and the painter’s name on them.
Instead of tender woman’s cheeks, soft pink peach is depicted, lips - sweet raspberry cherries and grapes, nose - green cucumber, dark cherry - eye, spike - eyebrow... The face is collected like the most unusual mosaic, but even more contains a high hairdo. The corn cob, eggplant, poured plums and sweet pears, more cherries and vines, large blackberries, etc., are well discernible in it. All together conveys the allegory of growth and the harvest of a rich crop, which matures for three months and begins to be harvested at the end of August.
Warm and saturated hues appropriate to the summer time dominate the canvas, making the woman’s profile shine in the midst of the black fill. Each fruit is drawn with great care and realism, the faithfully placed shadows and highlights create a strong volume effect of the image, enhanced by the contrast with the dark background.
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The artist’s technique emphasizes texture. Brushstrokes are visible, contributing to the impression of lushness and ripeness. Light falls unevenly across the scene, highlighting certain areas while leaving others in shadow, which enhances the three-dimensional quality of the arrangement. The pumpkin, centrally positioned, draws immediate attention with its unusual placement – it appears almost as if it is emerging from or being supported by the surrounding vegetation.
Beyond a simple depiction of summer’s bounty, the painting suggests themes of fertility and cyclical renewal. The abundance of fruit implies prosperity and fruition, while the dark background hints at the underlying processes of growth and decay that are inherent to natures cycles. There is an element of mystery in the obscured setting; it prevents any clear spatial context, which encourages a focus on the immediate sensory experience of the forms presented.
The arrangement feels deliberately constructed rather than observed directly from life. The density and almost claustrophobic quality of the composition suggest a symbolic intent – a representation not just of summers appearance but also its deeper significance within a larger natural order.