Giuseppe Arcimboldo
Hey friends!!
Have you heard of the Italian artist named Giuseppe Arcimboldo?
Giuseppe was born in Milan, Italy, in 1527. Almost 500 years ago! Take a look at this painting he created, it is called Vegetables in a Bowl. What do you see in this painting? I see all sorts veggies in a black bowl. Let's see what we can find. Check off the veggies as you find them, then try to add to the list:
Carrot
Kale
Walnut
Mushroom
What else can you find?
This artist is famous for his portraits (images of people) made up of vegetables, fruit, flowers, and all sorts of other things. Does this painting look like a portrait to you? What if we flip it upside down?
 This painting is entitled Vortumnus. It has even more fruits and veggies included in it. What else does it have? Do you seen any flowers or other plants? Click on the button to take a look at a short video called "Art with Mati and Dada." It will help you learn to see these paintings differently! | Do you see the portrait now? Pretty cool huh? The bowl is now his hat, the onion is his cheek, the carrots make his chin and beard, and the mushrooms are his mouth! Giuseppe even gave this upside down painting a different name. It is now titled The Gardener. Lets take a look at some of his other paintings...  |
This one is titled Spring. How is it different from the other two? It is almost entirely made up of flowers! There are a few veggies hiding in there. Can you find them?
What do you think of Giuseppe's art? Do you think it is fun to look at? Is it silly? Does it make you laugh?
People who study art and history can not agree on whether Giuseppe painted these for fun to make people laugh, or because he was kind of crazy. Which do you think it was?
Today, you get to paint a face made out of fruits, veggies, and flowers like Giuseppe!
There are several ways you can make your portrait. First, you will have to decide if you want it to be all fruits and vegetables, like the painting Vegetables in a Bowl; all flowers, like the painting Spring, or a mixture of both, like the painting Vortumnus.
Which do you choose?
Next, you will choose your medium! Your medium is what you use to make your art. For this project, you have a lot of choices!
Paper, scissors, and glue
You can draw all different types and sizes of fruits, veggies and flowers, and arrange them on the outline of a face to give your portrait features.
his will let you try different arrangements, once you have them where you want them, you can glue them down! If you do not want to draw them out, try looking in a magazine, newspaper or grocery store advertisements. Cut out the images you like.
Which do you choose?
Next, you will choose your medium! Your medium is what you use to make your art. For this project, you have a lot of choices!
Paper, scissors, and glue
You can draw all different types and sizes of fruits, veggies and flowers, and arrange them on the outline of a face to give your portrait features.
his will let you try different arrangements, once you have them where you want them, you can glue them down! If you do not want to draw them out, try looking in a magazine, newspaper or grocery store advertisements. Cut out the images you like.
Paper and Markers
You can draw your outline of a face and add your fruit, veggies, and flowers directly onto the paper. Don't for get to color them in!
This one is mine! I chose to draw my fruit directly on my portrait. let's take a closer look..
Head is a sweet potato
Eyes are lemon slices
Nose/mustache is a carrot
Neck/body is a pumpkin
Ears are eggplants
Mouth is a banana
Eyebrows are green beans
Cheeks are apples
Hair is grapes
You can draw your outline of a face and add your fruit, veggies, and flowers directly onto the paper. Don't for get to color them in!
This one is mine! I chose to draw my fruit directly on my portrait. let's take a closer look..
Head is a sweet potato
Eyes are lemon slices
Nose/mustache is a carrot
Neck/body is a pumpkin
Ears are eggplants
Mouth is a banana
Eyebrows are green beans
Cheeks are apples
Hair is grapes
 | Real objects Lastly, you can hunt down some real fruits and veggies from your kitchen, or flowers and plants from your garden! You can use chalk to draw your head outline and fill it in, or use a piece of paper. These works of are were made by Laura Faye, Annabelle Faye, and Lucille Faye! Notice how they made their portraits look very different from each other, but used the same materials. |  |
