Vol 3-3
Giuseppe Arcimboldo (1526-1596) was a court painter in Vienna and Prague during the late Renaissance era. He is known as a transitional Mannerist. One characteristic of this era of art is the relationship between human and nature. Giuseppe Arcimnoldo, like his father before him, was an artist of many talents. He started his artistic career working with stained glass and creating frescoes locally in Milan. Arcimnoldo gained his first employment as a court painter for the Habsburgs in Vienna in 1562. The Habsburgs, known for interest in the curiosities of the world, sciences, and to have a flair for the arts. Arcimnoldo worked prolifically at their whim. His work for the Habsburgs later took him to Prague where he was again the court painter as well as decorator and costume designer. After a long career Arcimnoldo retired to Milan. In his retirement, he created a self portrait. Four Seasons, created in his likeness, was one of his last.
Popular music of the time predated the
nascent violin. This composition by Orazio Vecchi
represents music popular at the time.
It is not the royal portraits or frescoes he was commissioned to make, but the faces of his own inspirations that have garnered interest through time. The majority of his works have been lost to the annals of time. His most famous fantastical paintings represent the world around him. The Four Seasons, Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter, were created in a category of their own, these grotesque curiosities surely entertained the court of which he served. A combination of portraiture and still life. As the seasons changed, he used what represented each season to create these odd faces. Arcimboldo showed his appreciation of nature through these Mannerist portraits.
Spring, created first, depicts a woman made with a variety of spring flowers. Buds, blooms, petals, and leaves create her rosy lips, floral locks, belladonna eyes, daisy collar, and verdant attire. There are over 80 species represented in Spring. This portrait is a relaxed welcome to the season of renewal.
In contrast with the other portraits in this set of Seasons, Spring does not depict any fruits, vegetables, nor any items traditionally considered edible. This portrait is more whimsical than the others in the set, some of which are quite grotesque.
Summer is another beautiful woman made of fruits, vegetables, and grains. She is turned to the right, to be facing Spring when displayed as a pair. The cherry lips, peach cheeks, cucumber nose, eggplant neck, corn cob ear, and green pea teeth sit atop her field of wheat clothing. An artichoke sits obscured in the darkness of the background on her chest.
Summer shows the variety of exotic produce available at the time. Cherries are indigenous to Asia and the Balkans. Peaches are also from Asia. Eggplant would have been imported from India or and the corn came from America. The inclusion of these many varieties of produce shows the richness of the Habsburg empire. Looking closely, you will find his signature on the collar of Summer's dress.
In Autumn, unlike Spring and Summer, Arcimboldo uses varieties popular of autumn's harvest to depict a man. Autumn is a grumpy figure with rough features. Interestingly, as the set was completed, painting by painting, the mood became darker and more grotesque. In comparison to Spring, Autumn is not beautiful nor welcoming. Autumn represents the coming harshness of barren frozen landscapes and dark cellars storing the year's harvest.
The apples cheeks, pear nose, grain beard, grape hair, pumpkin head, mushroom ear, and root vegetable haunches emerge from the barrel of a body. The original of Autumn was lost, but a copy the Habsburg emperor had sent to another European monarch is now displayed in the Louvre.
Arcimboldo adorned this bare figure with the only fruit available in winter in his native Milan. The citrus bring a bright contrast to the rest of this knotted figure.
Winter is the most grotesque of this fantastical Modernist set. The man in late age appears withered and wrinkled. His errant beard shoots into darkness like the roots of a tree. Winter's ear is naught but a broken branch, ivy grows in place of a receding hairline, mushrooms form his lips.
Winter with twisted branches resembling a crown may have been a representation of Holy Roman Emperor, Maximillian II.
Winter was the last of the set to be completed and represents an emperor in his advanced years rather than a nascent year. Of the Roman calendar, Winter is the first season and the most important, making it the season worthy of a king.
Arcimboldo returned to Milan in his late years where he completed Four Seasons in One Head just three years before his death. This portrait was angled differently than the set created earlier. More of the face is showing, with a somber look. The face shows the seasons that have passed and the effects of time on the body. Flowers, fruits, vegetables, mangled branches, and grain are all sewn together creating a year in a portrait. His conventional works created as a court painter have fallen by into oblivion. The religious frescos and royal portraits he created are gone. But, the portraits of busts made from the flora and fauna of the world around him live on. The Four Seasons have drawn the attention and fascination from their creation until the contemporary era.
Good News
Now that the garden is up and running, we'd like to share the plot list with all of you again. Get to you know your neighbors. We hope you will be able to help each other with watering and other general plot care, especially for those who are out of town. Please do join our Facebook Group!! The Imperial Towers Community Garden Group on Facebook is a closed group. We do not expect any involvement from outside our gardening community. This is the perfect platform to reach out whenever you need help.
1. Scott Warner & Lynne Grady 2. Larry and Josephine Hill
3. Hope Woodworth 4. William Schendel
5. Brian Whitely 6. Randi Zillmer
7. Naveen Mundhra 8. Rita Hasner
9. Eddie McRoberts 10. Rick Steadman
11. Gene Arbetter, Martha Howard & Susan Klein 12. Blake Severino & Caitlin Kane
13. Mark Brown & Hanke Gratteau 14. April Roberts
15. Diane Gibbs 16. Susan Marcus & Dipti Shah
17. Mark Phan 18. Mary Ann Karales 19. Robert Dolezal & Harmony Dolezal 20. Molly Kattan
21. Lloyd DeGrane & Laurel Berman 22. Doug Boehm & Alicia Forestall-Boehm 23. Jocelyn Jung 24. Marilynn Vanella & Nancy Edwards
25. Robert Leininger & Susan McLain 26. Meg Katz 27. Mindy Banks 28. Alicia Frasier
29. Jacquie Jones 30. Connie Johnston
31. Frances Stokes 32. Ronald Stalzle
33. Dan Santow 34. Carole Beach, William Beach & Lynne Grady
35. Lauren Begg
Support Crew
At Imperial Towers Community Garden, we aim to grow both our community and our green garden each and every day. Keeping with that theme, this garden season we will have a community approach to maintain our space with Support Team duties.
This season, each plot holder is required to sign up for a week of Support Team duties. You can sign up for whichever week you'd like via the Gsheet linked here. Support Team duties will involve the following responsibilities;
1. Sweep deck, check that drains are clear
2. Check green flower pots for watering
3. Check that garbage has been emptied (email April if not emptied regularly)
4. Check deck box supplies (shared tools, hoses, faucets, brooms) (email April when replenishment is needed)
If you are not able to fulfill your week of duties for the season or need help signing up for your preferred week please contact April by emailing imperialtowerscommunitygarden@gmail.com for assistance.
Fresh from the Garden Recipes -
Lib Koosa
Lib Koosa is a popular dip in many Arabic countries. There may be variation between regions, this is a Lebanese version.
Ingredients:
3 zucchini (diced)
1 onion (diced)
4 cloves garlic
Handfull parsley
Handfull mint
3 TBSP olive oil
2 TBSP lemon juice
1 tsp salt
1 tsp cumin
Directions:
Add onion, zucchini, salt and olive oil to a saucepan over medium heat. Cover and let simmer until soft.
Finely mince or grate the garlic. Chop the parsley and mint.
Add the garlic and cumin to the pan and continue cooking uncovered until most of the liquid has evaporated
Mash everything in the pan until the texture is soft. Add the herbs, lemon juice, and salt and pepper to taste.
Serve with pita or crusty bread of your choice.
Ask Rose
Dear Rose,
My garden is overrun by rollie pollies. What can I do to get rid of them? I'm having getting my garden off the ground because of them.
Please help!
-Rollie Pollie Overrun
Dear Rollie Pollie Overrun,
Interestingly, Rollie Pollies also commonly known as pill bugs, are the only crustacean fully adapted to life on land. That being said, they do breathe through gills and require a damp environment. Pill Bugs are decomposers and are beneficial to our plots by providing nutrients. That being said, if there are too many, it is possible they can be damaging seedlings and some overly moist roots.
There are two holistic ways to to deter or remove pill bugs. First, create a solution of garlic water to sprinkle across your plot. This should deter pill bugs. The second option is to bury a cup (or the plastic bottle with the top cut off) and add beer. You read that right, beer will attract the pill bugs. They will fall in and drown. You will then be able to remove the cup and pill bugs.
You can empty and refill the cup as needed.
Cheers to successful growing,
Rose
Find more helpful hints for opening your garden on our Resources page.
Comments