Whimsical Allegorical Heads

Thursday Challenge: "SOMETHING DIFFERENT" (Unusual, Strange, Rare, Different, One of a Kind, Weird,...)

Giuseppe Arcimboldo, follower of Italian, c. 1527-1593, active in Milan, Prague, and Vienna.

An Allegorical Head Representing Summer,
c. 1600-1620
Oil on canvas

Museum purchase, 1954, SN 673

An Allegorical Head Representing Autumn
c. 1600-1620
Oil on canvas

Museum Purchase, 1954, SN 672

The 16th-century Milanese artist, Giuseppe Arcimboldo, spent most of his career in Vienna and Prague. It was there that Arcimboldo first imagined his trademark composite images. Using fruits, vegetables, and other objects, the artist created portraits, usually of fictional subjects. These whimsical paintings became a popular amusement at the Bohemian court, and this method of composing a face of vegetables and other objects spread throughout Europe. This work and its pendant, Summer, are copies after the original paintings by Arcimboldo.

Taken at The John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art in Sarasota, FL. 29.Sep.2010.


“Every artist dips his brush in his own soul,
and paints his own nature into his pictures.”
~Henry Ward Beecher

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THURSDAY CHALLENGE

American Puss and Boots Spec Costume, 1978

Taken at The Circus Museum inside the Ringling Estate in Sarasota, FL.

Don Foote,
American Puss and Boots Spec Costume, 1978
Fabric, sequins
Found in Collection

Spec wardrobe is among the most lavish costuming produced for any cirucs. Since the nature of the spec performance is colorful, extravagant and exciting, the wardrobe was always specially desgiend. In the 1960s, Don Foote's marvelous creations brightened the floors of arenas around the country.

After a period designing for shows from Las Vegas to Broadway, in 1970, Don Foote became the official costume designer for Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey. He spent fourteen years costuming performings in wardrobe noted for its vivid colors and heavy sequining.

This Puss in Boots dress was designed by Foote for the fairytale portion of the 1979 Ringling spectacle, Circus Toyland.

"There is no blue without yellow and without orange."
~Vincent Van Gogh

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MELLOW YELLOW MONDAY

The "Blue" Madonna

Taken at The John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art in Sarasota, FL.

Carlo Dolci, attributed to
Italian, 1616-187, active in Florence

The "Blue" Madonna, c. 1670
Oil on Canvas

Bequest of John Ringling, 1936, SN 136

In this painting, the popular subject of the Madonna of Sorrows, or Mater Dolorosa, is endowed with a physical presence and simplicity that has affected many pious viewers. The combination of sweetness and melancholy is typical of the religious pathos of Carlo Dolci's works. The artist was particularly well known for his paintings of solitary figures, as seen in this work. His skill as a portraitist informed his religious pictures, as his religious figures frequently hvae the feeling of psychological portraits. This personal approach to devotional painting echoed the demands of the Council of Trent (1545-1536) for clear decipherable religious art.

“Every artist dips his brush in his own soul,
and paints his own nature into his pictures.”
~Henry Ward Beecher

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BLUE MONDAY

Thursday Challenge #2 - Bottles. Are you sure?

Thursday Challenge Theme: "BOTTLES" (Containers, Cup, Mug, Vase, Beverage, Cosmetic, Ornamental...)

I think I'm skirting the rules of the challenge on this one, but I hope I can be forgiven for it. :mrgreen: I love this painting, and I thought this week's challenge is a good opportunity to share it with you all.

This is a picture of a painting I took at the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam in 2005. I remember being mesmerized by the sheer details in this painting. The illusion was so realistic I was tempted to reach out and touch the objects to make sure they were not real, cliché as that may sound. :D

From the plaque beside the painting:

Still life with gilt goblet
WILLEM CLAESZ HEDA
oil on panel, 1635

For forty years, Willem Heda painted nothing but still lifes. his work distinguishes itself from the still lifes of his contemporaries: the colors are softer, cooler and more harmonious. A strip of bright yellow lemon peel is the single accent. Here Heda shows himself to be a master in the portrayal of gleaming surfaces and the reflection of light: each object on the table reflects another.

Also, from The Masterpieces Guide:

WILLEM CLAESZ HEDA, 1594-1680

This looks like the remains of a banquet, but it is in fact a carefully considered composition. Heda has arranged the objects so that he can give the best possible demonstration of his skill. This is why the drinking vessel is lying on its side, so that both the dull silver under the foot and the gleaming exterior can be seen. It is an absolute tour de force. Because the objects are depicted one behind the other rather than being seen from above, the composition looks more natural than that of its predecessors. The sublime rendition of materials and reflections adds to this effect.

...Putting the plate on the edge of the table serves to suggest depth.

“A photograph is usually looked at—seldom looked into”
~Ansel Adams

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