Strangely,
Arcimboldo (1527 - 1593) left only two dozen of paintings. A
tiny
work for an artist so universally known. Since years, his allegories
are reproduced per million everywhere. Everyone saw at least once one
of these recomposed faces, semi satire, semi caricature. That makes the
exhibition of the Museum of Luxembourg all the more exceptional,
because it gather a great number of these dispersed works. The Italian
department of the Museum of Vienna is the principal supplier,
Arcimboldo lived 25 years in this city, with the service of the
Habsbourg emperors. Our national Louvre keep the whole Four seasons
cycle. All the paintings concern the same optical challenge, to join
together fruits, vegetables, plants, animals in a composition restoring
a human face. From close, the eye distinguishes each component, by far,
the face is recomposed. A visual virtuosity, an illusion of artist.
Arcimboldo knew the glory and the fortune during his life due to these
anthropomorphic puzzles which deserved the admiration of the Palatine
court. Vienna was then a laboratory of aesthetic experiments. This unic
exhibition recalls us the history of an immense Viennese laugh.