Arcimboldo makes us ask: which way is up??

This is a nice painting often referred to as a "still life," in which the painter has assembled items from everyday life and painted them to make a beautiful and pleasing picture. But is this painting really what you think it is? Click on the image to flip the canvas upside down, and see what the artist, Giuseppe Arcimboldo, really wanted you to see!    

Giuseppe Arcimboldo (1527-1593) was an Italian-born painter who worked throughout Europe during his lifetime. He worked as a "royal painter" in Vienna, serving for 25 years for the "Imperial Court," working as the royal artist for 3 generations of emperors and kings. His title was that of "Court Portrait Painter," responsible for making paintings of the royalty, to record their images for history. However, he chose to do his job in an unusual manner ... making portraits that were also unusual still life paintings!

Click here to see more by this fascinating artist!