Autumn 1573

Giuseppe Arcimboldo painted Autumn, using oil on wood, during the 16th century. Arcimboldo was court painter to the Habsburg emperors in Vienna and Prague, a period of immense social and political change in Europe, and this portrait is one of a series representing the four seasons. The artist’s clever and playful arrangement of seasonal fruits and vegetables to create a human face is more than just a visual game. It reflects the Renaissance fascination with nature and the human form, and the period's interest in the relationship between humans and the natural world. Note how the abundance of the harvest is transformed into a figure, the corn becomes hair, the pumpkin a hat. The painting is a celebration of nature's bounty, but also a commentary on the power of the emperor, who, like the seasons, controlled the cycle of life and prosperity. By transforming inanimate objects into a human form, Arcimboldo blurs the lines between the natural and the artificial, prompting us to reflect on the very essence of identity.