1572
oil
canvas
From the collection of Denver Art Museum
Dominant colour
Allegorical Portrait- "Summer" is a 1572 oil by Giuseppe Arcimboldo, a Mannerism work, held at Denver Art Museum.
This painting is a portrait of a person made from fruits and vegetables. The person is wearing a dress made of wheat and has a headpiece made of leaves, grapes, and other fruits. The background of the painting is black. The person's face is made up of different fruits and vegetables, such as apples, pears, and squash. The painting is very detailed and realistic, with each fruit and vegetable carefully painted to look like it's part of the person's body. The painting is an example of the technique of chiaroscuro, which uses strong contrasts between light and dark to create a sense of depth and volume. You can learn more about chiaroscuro by looking up the term.
Giuseppe Arcimboldo, also spelled Arcimboldi (Italian: ; 5 April 1527 – 11 July 1593), was an Italian Mannerist painter best known for creating imaginative portrait heads made entirely of objects such as fruits, vegetables, flowers, fish and books.
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