Visual Analysis Virtual Sketchbook 3
Dimensions image : 29 3/8 x 38in ( 74.6 x 96.5 cm)
Well out of the whole  art museum in Ringling, this one definitely stood out to me the most. After walking through every room I finally got to the last gallery and spotted out this painting. It caught my eye in an instant.  I didn’t even have to think about this one. I knew this was my piece. It made me smile. There was something really new  fun about it like  something that just felt like me. I looked so much into the colors and fruits that I didn’t even realize there was a face lol.Â
This  painting is titled After Giuseppe Arcimboldo, Summer. It was painted by an unknown artist in the late 1500s in the style of Arcimboldo’s famous original painting Summer from 1573. So even though the artist isn’t known here in this the painting it  still shows the same uniqueness and humor that made Arcimboldo’s work so special.
This portrait shows a person’s head and shoulders made  out of fruits, vegetables, plants, and wheat. I wasn't sure if this as a man or women. The face is painted from red tart cherries that give a sour bite, juicy big peaches you can smell before you even touch them, and some raw garlic that gives a sharp sting of taste to the mouth. The hair looks like dry wheat and green leaves a bit  brittle like it could crumble in your fingers. The colors are like orangish yellows, reds, and greens pop with color against the deep dark background. If you could touch or taste this painting it would come alive with lots of flavor, maybe some sweet, sour, and earthy all at once. The peaches might melt with the first bite the cherries would make your mouth pucker a bit, and the garlic would burn just a bit. You can almost feel the fuzzy skin of the peaches and the smooth surface of the fruit, each one different but fitting together. The smell would be alive and rich, and sweet. Close your eyes and Imagine holding a basket made of wheat, filled with fruits and vegetables, soft peaches, some  small cherries, and smooth but also clumpy cucumbers. You can almost feel the shapes under your hands as you start to build a face in your head, now imagine that on a canvas. A cucumber for a nose, a big peach for a cheek. It’s a little silly and a little strange but somehow really creative and very beautiful  like a poem made of food. It’s almost like stepping into Arcimboldo’s imagination for a moment just seeing how he turned ordinary food into something alive and expressive.
Something I also noticed in this painting was that on the shirt collar it says “Morales,” but in the book Arcimboldo: Visual Jokes, Natural History, and Still-Life Painting, I saw that the original painting says “Giuseppe Arcimboldo,” and on the sleeve it reads “1573.”
The design of this painting is balanced and shows a strong use of contrast. The bright and colorful fruits stand out against the dark background which makes the face pop out. The contrast makes the face stand out even more and gives the whole painting a warm and lively feeling.
Giuseppe Arcimboldo was an Italian painter from the Renaissance period which at the time of a major change in Europe between the 1400s and 1600s. People were beginning to study the science nature, and the human body in different ways, and artists  really wanted to show how creativity and knowledge could work together. Arcimboldo lived and worked in a lot of cities like Milan, Prague, and Vienna he painted for powerful rulers such as Emperor Rudolf II of the Holy Roman Empire. Rudolf loved to collect plants, animals, and scientific objects so Arcimboldo’s art was full of nature and imagination and it fit perfectly in his court.
The original Summer was one of a set of four portraits representing the seasons, painted for Emperor Rudolf II. This version at The Ringling keeps that same idea, celebrating the season of growth and warmth. It also shows how creative and bold Arcimboldo was. He wasn’t afraid to do something different from other artists of his time. Through summer he was showing that humans are part of nature and  that life, food and the seasons are all connected. I think his messages comes across really clear because the idea of nature and creativity feels global.
Arcimboldos style was super different from most painters of his time. A lot of artists painted religious scenes or royal portraits while Arcimboldo created  faces made out of fruits, vegetables, flowers, and animals. His paintings weren’t just funny but they were full of meaning and life.  They showed the connection between humans and nature, an idea that was very important during the Renaissance. His work also reflected the growing interest in science like anatomy and natural history.
In the book Arcimboldo Visual Jokes, Natural History, and Still-Life Painting, Thomas DaCosta Kaufmann explained  that Arcimboldo’s portraits weren’t just “serious jokes” and that they made people laugh but also made them think. The mix of humor and science shows how Renaissance art was about more than just beauty. It was about understanding the world. Arcimboldo’s paintings also fit into the Mannerist movement where artists experimented with imagination and exaggeration. His work encouraged a lot of people to look twice, to truly  see beyond what’s obvious in which feels  playful and thoughtful.
Arcimboldo also wrote poetry, and I definitely  think that played a big part in how his art feels. His portraits are like poems just made out of objects instead of words. Each fruit or plant seems chosen for a reason like a poet picking the perfect line for an empty paper. The paintings are funny at first, but the longer you look, the more meaning they have . It’s just like a poem that slowly reveals itself.
To me this painting is mportant today because it reminds people that creativity never has limits. It shows how humor, imagination, and nature can come together to make something that is both unique and beautiful. I chose this piece because it felt like it captured me. My whole journey in this class has been about picking art that connects to my personality and what makes me happy. This painting ties it all together . My love for food, color, creativity, and imagination brings joy, curiosity, and a sense of wonder. This to me, is what art should do.
