For my art piece I choose Giuseppe Arcimboldo´s Vortumnus as this is one of the most symbolic masterpieces of all times. For background purposes, it must be noted that many ¨art critics [today] debate whether [his] paintings were whimsical or the product of a deranged mind¨ because his style was so different from anything found during the renaissance. Of course like many other artists of the 16 Century, finding a style representative of their society and their own views was difficult, yet artists such as Giuseppe elegantly catered their pieces to represent the ambivalence of the time in a unique form. His most famous artwork is considered to be his abstract portraits depicting human faces made up of fruits, vegetables, meats, animals, etc. Having said that, let me begin my exploration his magnificent Vortumnus.
Like any art piece, Vortumnus has an infinite number of symbolic interpretations, however, for me this piece represents one thing, and one thing only- the essence of humanity. Now, we know that food is needed to survive as much as it is needed for the purposes of satisfying our selfish desires and pleasures which unfortunately tend to be rooted in lust and gluttony. However, when one stops and stares as this piece, the essence of humanity is portrayed because the mind and body which enable the existence of society, flourish as a result of food. Without food nothing that breaths could survive, and as such, the true creation of the human is that with which makes its entirety, and for that reason this piece is an elegant and beautiful portrayal of that notion- we are what we eat. In this particular piece one notices how the subject´s cheeks are a shy red which is a color associated with a healthy body, thus, the fact that the composition of the cheeks are made up by entirely from apples, depicts the common view that a healthy body is one which is fed by healthy food. The reason why I see this as a healthy person is due to the fact that the subject´s body is very well built. Adding to this, something interesting from this piece is the way in which it playfully sets the hair to be an array of different fruits, grains, and vegetables because this could symbolize Giuseppe´s view that freedom ( which is associated with the unstrapping of the hair), is only found in the preservation of the body through eating healthy cuisine. I absolutely think that this piece invokes a sense of convenience because all the food in this piece can be easily cultivated and found around the globe. In relation to responsibility, I think that because of the composition of this healthy body, which is made up of fruits, grains, and vegetables, one can perceive that there is dominant ideal that one must be healthy to fully be free to enjoy the beauties of life. Furthermore, as this is a piece of the renaissance I think it absolutely epitomizes the identity of the time, which was one of artistic exploration but more importantly, one of no limitations in terms of eating. Ultimately, I think this piece is a masterpiece because it cleverly sets up the notion that healthy mind and body is rooted from a healthy standard of living