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Spring — The Four Seasons — Flowers and leaves form a youthful profile.
Look closely. Let the image settle.
Illusions in painting / 1573

Spring — The Four Seasons

Flowers and leaves form a youthful profile.

TRY THIS

Switch between the whole profile and its individual ingredients. Compare the other three seasons.

FOLLOW THE SOURCES

History, evidence & image credit

THE IMAGE IN THIS ARCHIVE

Giuseppe Arcimboldo

Original file & attribution · Public domain

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Frequently asked questions

What is Spring — The Four Seasons?

Flowers and leaves form a youthful profile.

What should I look for in Spring — The Four Seasons?

Switch between the whole profile and its individual ingredients. Compare the other three seasons.

What explains Spring — The Four Seasons?

A densely arranged bouquet becomes skin, hair, and clothing. This is a composite portrait: the overall face emerges from an arrangement of separate things.

Another way to see it

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Hans Holbein the Younger

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Vertumnus — Rudolf II appears as a face assembled from fruit, flowers, and vegetables.

Vertumnus

Giuseppe Arcimboldo

Rudolf II appears as a face assembled from fruit, flowers, and vegetables.

Spring — The Four Seasons — Flowers and leaves form a youthful profile.

Spring — The Four Seasons