Giuseppe Arcimboldo, A surrealist before his time

Ben Samuel
1 day ago
2 min read

Vertumnus (1590)a portrait of Holy Roman Emperor Rudolf II

Giuseppe Arcimboldo (1527–1593) was a Renaissance artist known for his extraordinary composite portraits, assembling fruits, vegetables, flowers, and everyday objects into uncanny human faces. Centuries later, Surrealist artists celebrated Arcimboldo’s work for its dreamlike absurdity and inventive visual logic. By transforming ordinary elements into fantastical hybrids, his portraits reveal a playful, paradoxical imagination that prefigured Surrealism.

Arcimboldo’s portraits function as both visual jokes and intellectual allegories, inviting viewers to shift between perception and meaning as familiar objects become strange and unexpected.

His approach was philosophical, cloaking nature in art to reveal reality through disguise. Though his portraits flourished under Holy Roman Emperor Rudolf II, they were largely forgotten until the 20th-century Surrealists revived them. Today, Arcimboldo’s inventive portraits remain a fascination, illustrating the enduring link between Renaissance ingenuity and Surrealist inspiration.

The Four Seasons

The Four Seasons would have been accompanied by a poem by Giovanni Battista Fonteo (1546–1580) explaining their allegorical meaning. No fixed canonical edition of Fonteo’s poem survive. Here is a reconstructed English translation.

"Spring brings forth flowers, summer ripens them, autumn gathers, and winter strips the earth. Thus the world of nature turns in eternal order, joined in harmony by the four elements, - earth, air, fire, and water, which sustain life. From these, the unity of the world is formed, seen reflected within a single body. So under a great ruler all things endure and are governed in harmony."

Spring (1563)

Spring by Giuseppe Arcimboldo a human figure made up of flowers in bloom

Summer (1563)

summer by Giuseppe Arcimboldo a human face made of vegetables

Autumn (1573)

Autumn by Giuseppe Arcimboldo a human face made up of fruit and vegtables

Winter (1563)

Winter by Giuseppe Arcimboldo a human face made up of a tree, fungus and vines

The Four Elements

Similarly, The Four Elements would have been accompanied by a poem by Giovanni Battista Fonteo (1546–1580) explaining their allegorical meaning. No fixed canonical edition of Fonteo’s poem survive. Here is a reconstructed English translation.

"Earth: The foundation of life, strengthening and sustaining the body. Fire: Ignites the spirit, illuminating the soul with virtue. Water: Flowing, it teaches gentleness, soothing and nourishing the mind. Air: Offers loftiness, lifting the senses toward the heavens."

Air (c. 1566)

Air by Giuseppe Arcimboldo. human head made up of birds

Fire (1566)

Fire by Giuseppe Arcimboldo a human head made of inanimate objects with fire of flames

Earth (c. 1566)

Earth by Giuseppe Arcimboldo a human head made up of animals such as deer, elephants and cows

Detail from 'Earth' (c. 1566)

A detail of Earth showing the animals that compose the face

Water (1566)

Water by Giuseppe Arcimboldo a human face made up of fish and sea creatures

Other Works attributed to Giuseppe Arcimboldo...

The Waiter (1574)

The waiter by Giuseppe Arcimboldo a human made up of inanimate objects like barrels, plates and beer mugs.

The Jurist (1566)

The Jurist by Giuseppe Arcimboldo a human made up of roasted meats like a quail and chicken as well as fish tails.

The Librarian (1566)

The Iibrarian by Giuseppe Arcimboldo a human head made up of books and manuscripts.

The Vegetable Gardener (ca. 1587–1590)

The Vegtable Gardener by Giuseppe Arcimboldo a human head made up of a pot filled with vegetables. The image is reversible.

The Fruit Basket (c. 1590)

The Fruit Basket by Giuseppe Arcimboldo a human face made up of a basket of fruit and nuts. the image is reversible.

The Fruit Basket (c. 1590) Inverted

The Fruit Basket by Giuseppe Arcimboldo a human face made up of fruit and nuts in a basket. the reversible image has been shown upside down and right side up for illustrative purposes.

The Cook (c. 1570)

The Cook by Giuseppe Arcimboldo a human face made up of roasted meats in a dish. The image is reversible.

The Cook (c. 1570) Inverted

The cook by Giuseppe Arcimboldo shown upside down and right side up for illustrative purposes.

Flora (c. 1589)

Flora by Giuseppe Arcimboldo a human face made up of blooming flowers.

Four Seasons in One Head (c. 1590)

Four seasons in one head by Giuseppe Arcimboldo a human face made up of a tree stump and fruit and berries.

A “very knotty trunk represents the breast and head,” with “some holes for the mouth and eyes, and a protruding branch for the nose; the beard is made of strands of moss… a small flower… symbolizes spring… ears bound to twigs… two cherries… two damsons… two grapes… some apples… hidden among ivy… and if you see it, it will please you wonderfully.” - Il Figino_ written by Arcimboldo's friend Gregorio Comanini and published in 1591

A Self Portrait

Self Portrait of by Giuseppe Arcimboldo.