VAABUS

Medieval mannerism goes organic, and I mean – literally. Just look at the astonishing pictorial oeuvres of the Italian painter Giuseppe Arcimboldo (1527-1593) now on display at the National Gallery of Art.

With the possible exception of Hyeronimus Bosch, Arcimboldo is the most original of all renaissance painters, a genius who – with his mind-bending portraits composed of fruit, vegetables, animals or such inorganic objects as books or dusters – arguably launched into high gear the 20th century surrealism.

Like Hieronymus Bosch, Giuseppe Arcimboldo was an artist several centuries ahead of his time.  He was born in 1527 and grew up during the High Renaissance. A natural artistic talent landed him a coveted spot as student to non other than Leonardo Da Vinci. Later Arcimboldo accepted a position as Royal Painter in the imperial court. Arcimboldo faithfully served the court for the next 25 years.

Producing portraits for the imperial family and other heads of state was only part of Arcimboldo’s duties. If you were professionally involved in the 16^th century show biz, you had to do it all. As a chief designer of gala events for the imperial family, Giuseppe invented many unique special effects such as a enormous hydro-mechanically powered musical instrument which acted like a modern color organ. Arcimboldo called it the “Harpsichord of Color.”

Sounds like fun, right? Well, the great master does not look like a fun person in this self-portrait: He looks weary, tired, emaciated even. Totally not healthy. This self-portrait tells us a lot: all that stress, entire life as a balancing act when everything rides on how well he can satisfy and entertain his omnipotent clients. Not much has changed since then.

So, hurry to the National Gallery of Art where sixteen examples of the fantastic composite heads painted by Giuseppe Arcimboldo will be featured in this exhibition, Archimboldo, their first appearance in the United States. The exhibition will run through January 9, 2011.