Arcimboldos Water :: Visual Arts Paintings Art

Arcimboldo's Water The picture is of a head made up of many different sea features with a plain black background. It would be nearly impossible to name all the aquatic animals that make up this head. It seams as though there is a chest plate at the top of the body which is made of a crab and there are also shoulder plates which are made up by using a turtle and a large mussel, an octopus has also attached itself to the shoulder plates. Hanging around the neck there is a necklace made of pearls. The cheek is a ray of some sort, the ear is a mussel with a pearl as an earring. There is some sort of crab in place as the eyebrows and the mouth seams to be a dogfish with its jaws open revealing all its teeth. The figure seams to be wearing a crown which is made up of whales, seals, sea horses and coral. The nose is also made up by a fish. There is an array of different colours used but only the coral and a lobster seam to be bright and really stand out. Arcimboldo has arranged this piece so that when you look at the picture you are not struck by individual features but the picture as a whole and I found that happened with me. Arcimboldo has used oil on limestone to create this picture and it seams as though he has built the picture up from the background and added layers as he painted. The ideas used are obviously derived from the sea and sea creatures and are created together in a harmonious way and it shows a sign of peace with so many different creatures layed together in harmony. I think it was made to show that people can live together peacefully just as the animals are in the picture. It shows that fighting and arguing can be discarded and that everyone can get along no matter what or who they are: within the picture many of the animals would be each others enemy and prey. I like this picture because Arcimboldo has incorporated so many different species into the image but it is still very clearly a face and shoulders. Also the message of peace is clearly illustrated and is