Arcimboldo's Unusual Portraits

Giuseppe Arcimboldo (1527-1593) was an Italian-born painter who was summoned to be the Imperial Court Artist in Prague in 1562 and almost spontanteously began his original and unusual method of portraiture. He invented a style of portrait painting consisting of painted animals, flowers, fruit, and objects composed to form a human likeness. He has been seen by some as the forerunner of Surrealism in the 20th century, but in reality he is a unique artist at the end of the Renaissance.     

Look at the pictures below, see how he paints seemingly simple objects, then click on the image to see the full picture!

A nice little painting of flowers ...?	A collection of fruits and vegetables ...?	Grapes and a mushroom, among other things ...?
The branches and roots of a small plant ...?	A stack of books with a lot of bookmarks ...?	A featherless bird and a turkey drumstick ...?

If you would like to learn more about this remarkable artist, please consider the books below: