The Four Elements (Arcimboldo)
Encyclopedia
The Four Elements is a series of paintings by the Italian artist Giuseppe Arcimboldo
in 1566 during the renaissance on. They were commissioned by Maximilian an emperor of the Hapsburg court in Vienna. These four portraits display figures in profile formed by different animals or objects. Earth is made up of land animals, air is composed of birds, water has water creatures and fire is wood burning along with two cannons. This series attempts to create harmony out of chaos wit wild animals forming distinct faces. It also serves to praise Maximilian, suggesting that he is a ruler that controls even the four primal elements.
Historical Background
After training in Milan, Arcimboldo moved to Vienna and became the court painter for the Hapsburg emperors. The four elements were painted for Maximilian one of the most powerful of the Hapsburg emperors. This series served as symbol for the power of Maximilian and the empire as a whole.
Giuseppe gained knowledge of the vast about of exotic and local animals because at the time Prague became a cultural center. This meant exotic creatures came from all over the world. Such examples are the lion and elephant in Earth.
Artistic Analysis
Air is made up of a cornucopia of small birds that create a slender male face. The majority of the birds are only partially visible which allows Arcimboldo to create the face and hair. For example the body is formed by a peacock; the goatee is a tail of a pheasant, and a duck forms the eyelids. More importantly the eagle and peacock are references to the Hapsburg dynasty. Giuseppe included this reference to please his patrons and form a permanent bond between the painting and the Hapsburgs.
Unlike the paintings in the rest of the series Fire is formed from inanimate objects. These range from the flint ant steel that form the nose and ear, to the burning wood that creates the crown of glowing hair. Arcimboldo even uses guns to create the main portion of the body. Fire also has the most references to the Hapsburg dynasty. First of all the golden fleece hangs in front of the body, which is a reference to the most important orders of knights during that time. Second the double headed eagle, a symbol of the Holy Roman Empire, sits proudly of the figures torso. Finally the two large cannons refer to the strength of the Hapsburg armies in their ongoing war with the Turks.
Earth is perhaps the most skilfully blended painting with all of the land animals curving together to create a strong thick face. The creatures with antlers surround the head forming a king’s crown. An elephant creates the cheek and ear while a wolf eating a mouse created the eyelid and pupil. And most impressively a full cow represents the neck. Like the other paintings in the series the lion and the fleece are references to the Hapsburg dynasty.
Finally Water features the most realistic creatures of the series. A chaotic mess of sea creatures populate a woman's face. Her breast plate is a crab, turtle, and lobster along with an octopus on his shoulder. It is difficult to make out all of the animals in her head but a clear crown is formed by the spines on the back of a fish and the long pieces of coral. Almost seeming out of place, a pearl necklace lays across her neck framing her face and completing the pattern of order from confusion. She also wears a pearl earring.
This series matched anther of Arcimboldo’s sets called The Four Seasons, not only do they have the same number of paintings but the correspond to each other. Air goes with spring, fire with summer, earth with autumn and finally water with winter. This creates linked themes of chaos made into harmony and the glorification of the Hapsburg dynasty.
Giuseppe Arcimboldo
Giuseppe Arcimboldo was an Italian painter best known for creating imaginative portrait heads made entirely of such objects as fruits, vegetables, flowers, fish, and books – that is, he painted representations of these objects on the canvas arranged in such a way that the whole collection of...
in 1566 during the renaissance on. They were commissioned by Maximilian an emperor of the Hapsburg court in Vienna. These four portraits display figures in profile formed by different animals or objects. Earth is made up of land animals, air is composed of birds, water has water creatures and fire is wood burning along with two cannons. This series attempts to create harmony out of chaos wit wild animals forming distinct faces. It also serves to praise Maximilian, suggesting that he is a ruler that controls even the four primal elements.
Historical Background
After training in Milan, Arcimboldo moved to Vienna and became the court painter for the Hapsburg emperors. The four elements were painted for Maximilian one of the most powerful of the Hapsburg emperors. This series served as symbol for the power of Maximilian and the empire as a whole.
Giuseppe gained knowledge of the vast about of exotic and local animals because at the time Prague became a cultural center. This meant exotic creatures came from all over the world. Such examples are the lion and elephant in Earth.
Artistic Analysis
Air is made up of a cornucopia of small birds that create a slender male face. The majority of the birds are only partially visible which allows Arcimboldo to create the face and hair. For example the body is formed by a peacock; the goatee is a tail of a pheasant, and a duck forms the eyelids. More importantly the eagle and peacock are references to the Hapsburg dynasty. Giuseppe included this reference to please his patrons and form a permanent bond between the painting and the Hapsburgs.
Unlike the paintings in the rest of the series Fire is formed from inanimate objects. These range from the flint ant steel that form the nose and ear, to the burning wood that creates the crown of glowing hair. Arcimboldo even uses guns to create the main portion of the body. Fire also has the most references to the Hapsburg dynasty. First of all the golden fleece hangs in front of the body, which is a reference to the most important orders of knights during that time. Second the double headed eagle, a symbol of the Holy Roman Empire, sits proudly of the figures torso. Finally the two large cannons refer to the strength of the Hapsburg armies in their ongoing war with the Turks.
Earth is perhaps the most skilfully blended painting with all of the land animals curving together to create a strong thick face. The creatures with antlers surround the head forming a king’s crown. An elephant creates the cheek and ear while a wolf eating a mouse created the eyelid and pupil. And most impressively a full cow represents the neck. Like the other paintings in the series the lion and the fleece are references to the Hapsburg dynasty.
Finally Water features the most realistic creatures of the series. A chaotic mess of sea creatures populate a woman's face. Her breast plate is a crab, turtle, and lobster along with an octopus on his shoulder. It is difficult to make out all of the animals in her head but a clear crown is formed by the spines on the back of a fish and the long pieces of coral. Almost seeming out of place, a pearl necklace lays across her neck framing her face and completing the pattern of order from confusion. She also wears a pearl earring.
This series matched anther of Arcimboldo’s sets called The Four Seasons, not only do they have the same number of paintings but the correspond to each other. Air goes with spring, fire with summer, earth with autumn and finally water with winter. This creates linked themes of chaos made into harmony and the glorification of the Hapsburg dynasty.