2021/9/30 (The Four Seasons (Louvre Series) 01 – Spring)
Four Seasons Group Figure 01-04 1573 Height 76 cm (29.92 in.), Width: 64 cm (25.2 in.) Oil on canvas < > Giuseppe Alziboto, Collection of the Louvre Museum
The Portrait Of Four Seasons by the Italian Renaissance painter Giuseppe Alcinbotto is composed of four oil paintings, Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter, which were ordered by Maximilian II (1527-1576, reigned 1527-1576) of the Habsburg Holy Roman Emperor from Archimbolto in Milan in 1573 to Augustus in Saxony , 1526-1586), characterized by the use of fruits, vegetables, flowers, etc., to create a different image of a person in the four seasons, meaning from young to old age, the painting conceals metaphors, conveying the generosity of Habsburg rule, but implying that the dynasty will last forever, like the change of the four seasons, is an infinite cycle of processes.
Four Seasons (Louvre Series) 01-Spring 1573 Height 76 cm (29.92 in.), 64 cm (25.2 in.) Oil on canvas < > Giuseppe Alcinboto Collection of the Louvre Museum
Spring is the season when everything recovers and flowers bloom. In "Spring", dozens of bright flowers are densely arranged to form the hair and facial image of the portrait, and the costumes of the characters are composed of leaves of green plants, and white flowers of different sizes and shapes form the collar. The delicate color of the rose blossoms form a white and delicate face, suggesting the beauty and fragrance of youth. Flowers are often used as an illusory symbol of the passage of time and all human achievements – the most beautiful blooms will eventually wither away and die. On the chest of the figure is a blooming iris flower, the iris is an herbaceous plant that blooms in May, and the French regard it as the national flower, considering it a symbol of light and freedom. The characters in the whole image look happy and full of vitality and hope.
Four Seasons (Louvre Series) 02--Summer 1573 76 cm (29.92 in.), Width: 64 cm (25.2 in.) Oil on canvas Giuseppe Alziboto Collection of the Louvre Museum
"Summer" is composed of seasonal vegetables and melons and fruits. The thick cucumber is at the nose, the peach/pear/garlic and so on form the cheeks, the red fruit is the lips, the ripe and cracked pods are teeth, the long zucchini is used as the neck, the hair is composed of cherries/grapes/eggplant/fruit leaves, etc., the fine straw is woven into a solemn and elegant garment, the lines are clear and smooth, there are protruding figures "1573" (the time of creation) at the shoulders, two lines of text are faintly visible on the collar, and the collar is decorated with full mature ears of wheat. The figure's face is rosy, his expression is joyful and satisfied, and the plant flowers on his chest have withered and begun to brew fruits. Summer is like the youth of life, enjoying the riches and gifts of life.
Four Seasons (Louvre Series) 03--Autumn 1573 76 cm (29.92 in.), Width: 64 cm (25.2 in.) Oil on canvas Giuseppe Alziboto Collection of the Louvre Museum
The whole picture of "Autumn" is a gray-green tone. Autumn is the ripe harvest season, fruitful, the head of the character is full of plump bunches of grapes, huge pumpkins, mushrooms as ears, thick white radish is the neck, potatoes are in the nose position, apples are cheeks, upside-down pomegranates are chins, and mature grain ears look like beards. The garment is made of wooden panels, which are no longer solemn and gorgeous, but are solid and heavy. The plants on the chest have borne small fruits. The character's face darkened, his eyes lost their luster, and he looked like a middle-aged male figure with a kind face, a long beard, a vicissitudes of his face, and a load of life burdens, after the baptism of life, the glitz faded and became firm and calm.
Four Seasons (Louvre Series) 04--Winter 1573 76 cm (29.92 in.), Width: 64 cm (25.2 in.) Oil on canvas Giuseppe Alziboto Collection of the Louvre Museum
In "Winter", everything withered and withered, a desolate, and the head of the character is no longer luxuriant and full, only a small part of the fine leaves remain, and the mottled roots and dead branches are like wrinkled skin, and the deep eye sockets highlight the vicissitudes of the face. The thin body is wrapped in a woven mat-like cloak, describing the withered mallet, only the two heavy fruits on the chest highlight a bright color, which is the fruit of life, and there is a dramatic conflict with the overall dim atmosphere of the picture.
What is even more valuable about Archimbolto's work is the multi-layered symbolism contained in it and the humanistic spirit of the painter that flows from it. In "Four Seasons", the seasons appear in four stages of life - youthful youth, energetic youth, middle-aged with a peaceful face and old age described as withered, who pick the flowers and fruits of the four seasons, echoing the alternation of nature and life. The figures are composed of flowers and melons and fruits that grow in different seasons, symbolizing the balance and harmony of nature; The cycle of the four seasons is like the stability and prosperity of the Roman Empire under the emperor.
By Giuseppe Arcimboldo (1527?-1593)
Giuseppe Arcimboldo (1527?–1593)
Italian Renaissance painter, born in Milan, the father of a painter, once worked for the Duomo of Milan, and in 1549, Archimpotto was also commissioned by the Duomo of Milan to design mosaic glass windows. In 1562 he went to Vienna to become a court painter to the Holy Roman Emperor Ferdinand I, and later to Prague as a court painter for Maximilian II and his son Rudolf II. Famous for his portraits and pictorial satirical paintings, which were a combination of real-life changes in vegetables, flowers, birds, fish, and other objects, which aroused great interest from the people of the time, even in modern times, he was also whimsical, and many Surrealist painters regarded him as a pioneer of the Surrealist movement in the 20th century. The Habsburg Emperor admired his work, and he worked as a court painter in Vienna and Prague from 1562 to 1587, returning to Milan after retirement, where he died.
In 1648, during the Thirty Years' War (1618-1648), Swedish troops invaded Prague and plundered The Collection of Rudolf II, so that Now Archimboto's works are mainly in museums in Italy, Sweden and Vienna, as well as in the Louvre and museums in the United States.
Archimboto's combined portraits combine the overall impact of grotesque and fantasy with astonishing details that are nuanced and lifelike, using bright and contrasting colors, skilled still life rendering techniques, and any part of the portrait's head and face can be seen as a highly realistic still life, which needs to be slowly appreciated from near and far. All kinds of melon fruits are cleverly arranged to form the face of the character, the morphological texture of the melon fruit and the muscles of the face of the characters are amazingly unified, the painter has an extremely deep understanding of man and nature, with a high artistic talent and long-term in-depth observation of nature, the original "combination portrait" this artistic language, derived a new style genre, profoundly influenced the European painting world at that time, and still continues to provide inspiration for modern art, his unique artistic vision has a profound impact on the surrealist movement.