Flora Giuseppe Arcimboldo (1526-1593)

Description of Giuseppe Arcimboldo’s painting Flora

A human portrait composed of flowers is how Giuseppe Arcimboldo’s work entitled Flora might be characterized. The facial features and collar are made of buds and petals, and the garment itself is made of flowing leaves.

On her head is a bright wreath, with a red lily in the center. From the collar, at the bottom, a yellow lily looks out like a lantern. At that, the portrait turned out as if alive. The eyes have their own expression. It seems that the flora in the portrait is watching us. Only a true master of painting can achieve this.

The freshness and originality of Arcimboldo’s ideas liked King Rudolph, who was the gift of this painting, which became one of the artist’s later works. Earlier he had experimented with a similar theme, creating portraits from the gifts of nature and various objects. Thus appeared his famous cycle "The Seasons". However, there mainly exploited the theme of the male portrait. In general, in the genre of portrait still life with Arcimboldo men occur much more frequently.

Here we see a woman who is smiling. Is that why the flower petals are so tender and close to each other? After all, the author of the painting had to show exactly a woman’s body. That’s why there shouldn’t be any abrupt and rough transitions. It should be devoid of any brutality. It should be a real flower goddess. But, alas, she looks elderly: after all, the contours of flowers resemble wrinkles, but an old lady’s face can also be beautiful, if it is lit with a smile and a radiant gaze.

Flora is not an old woman, but rather a middle-aged lady, wise with experience. This can be seen in her gaze. It does not have the ardor typical of young creatures, her condition is balanced, there is kindness written on her face, but you can feel a slight irony, like a sparkle in her eyes.