Monday, March 26, 2012

A Portrait of Giuseppe Arcimboldo

From the mind of a master, comes the fruits of his labours. And the books, flowers, roots and whatever other appropriate objects that captured the essence of the portraits painted by Giuseppe Arcimboldo. This imaginative painter was born in Milan in 1527 and was highly popular in his day. While falling out of favour during later art periods, Budding Artists revives this Italian Painter today in our newest look at a Master Artist for our weekend Art Workshops for Children at the London Farmer's Market in the Western Fair District. If you haven't brought your children by for one of the fun and educational workshops at either 10am or 1pm, perhaps 90 minutes of fruit-filled art history and creation,  inspired by Arcimboldo, will be just the thing!

Air
While the name Arcimboldo might not immediately ring a bell, his artwork surely does. This gifted painter lived during the High Renaissance period and was admired by his peers and royalty alike. He was the son of Biagio Arcimboldo, who was also an artist in his own right. Like his father before him, he began his career in stained glass, but it was Arcimbolodo's portraits that caught the eye of the courts that would support him for most of his life.

Winter
After studying under Leonardo Da Vinci, in 1562 Arcimboldo was called to the Royal Courts by Emperor Ferdinand I. His position as court portraitist became questionable when Ferdinand  died shortly thereafter, but the following emperor, Maximilian II, admired his caricatures as well and kept him on. He became an important royal architect, engineer, and stage designer for the many gala events that he oversaw, in which he designed costumes, props and other decor items like hydralic machines. His skill was so appreciated that when Rudolf II took over from his father Maximilian in 1576, he was again kept on in this position.

Vegetables
And what was it that kept Arcimboldo in the employ of the Royal Courts of Vienna, and then Prague, for over 25 years? Undoubtedly, it was his unique and spirited style of portraiture. Arcimboldo created bold oil paintings of court figures and other personages, that when viewed up close could be recognized as depictions of fruits, vegetables, animals, and a variety of other items. The theme of the painting dictated the objects that it was created from. For example, his series on the Four Elements drew images appropriate for each one; ie. "Air" is made up of a variety of birds that form a face. Likewise, his series on the Four Seasons used images that could be found during that season; ie. "Winter" contains tree roots and bare branches. He also utilized the art of optical illusions, like in the portrait of a bowl of vegetables, that when turned upside down, can be recognized as the picture of a man.

Vertumnus
With a long and illustrious royal career behind him, in 1587 Arcimboldo was finally allowed to return to his native Milan. Despite no longer being officially employed by emperor Rudolf II, in 1591 he painted perhaps his most famous portrait "Vertumnus" and dedicated it to him. The portrait was appreciated as much then, as it is now and was to be his last known painting. On July 11th, 1593, Arcimboldo died at home in Milan. While many of his paintings were lost to the world after the Thirty Years' War, enough of them remained to influence the likes of Joos de Momper, Pablo Picasso, Rene Magritte and of course Salvador Dali.

This week, Budding Artists hopes that we can tempt you to be influenced by the artwork of Giuseppe Arcimboldo too! Contact us today to register your child for our Children's Art Workshop on March 31st!

Tuesday, March 20, 2012

Dale Chihuly: A Glass Sculpture Master

Budding Artists has a treat in store for the kids this week! We will be featuring glass sculptor Dale Chihuly this weekend at our Master's Series Children's Art workshop at the London Farmer's Market on Saturday, March 24th at 10am and 1pm. This extraordinary artist has captured the interest of not only the glass blowing community, but also a vast market of crafters and artisans worldwide.

Dale Chihuly was born in Tacoma, Washington on September 20th, 1941. He received his Bachelor of Arts degree in Interior Design from the University of Washington in 1965, then went on to study sculpture with Harvey Littleton at the University of Wisconsin. By 1968, he had received the Fulbright Fellowship, which allowed him to study glass blowing in Venice, Italy and to further attain his Master of Fine Arts from the Rhode Island School of Design. These were significant milestones in a career that was about to explode.

In 1969, Chihuly developed the Glass Department at the Rhode Island School of Design, where he subsequently taught until 1983. He also took his interest and the skills that he had learned along the way and opened the Pilchuck Glass School near Stanwood, Washington in 1971, with the help of John and Anne Hauberg. It was there that he further developed the art of team glass blowing on larger scale pieces, that would stand him in good stead in the years to come.

Persian Chandelier 
Working with a team became a career-saving move after Chihuly was in a serious accident in 1976 that resulted in the lose of sight in his left eye. He had to relinquish the chief glassblower position, but this left him with more time to develop his forms and the various series that he created. Over the years, those series included his Seaform, Macchia, Persian, Venetian and Ikebana series, but he was known to return to certain series at later points.

Float Triptych Drawing 
A bodysurfing injury in 1979 meant that he had to step away from the gaffer position entirely, but he relished the role of supervisor, director and problem solver in a way that he hadn't anticipated. It was at this point that he also began drawing to illustrate how he wanted his pieces to turn out.

The apparent physical setbacks did not slow Chihuly down in the least. Over the years he has had exhibitions all over the world, both indoors and out. Museums across the United States and Canada hold permanent collections of his work, as well as museums in England, Singapore and the United Arab Emirates. He has received eleven honorary doctorates, as well as numerous awards. And he hasn't slowed down one bit, with ongoing exhibitions across the US, new exhibitions planned for later this year, as well as the exciting grand opening of the Chihuly Garden and Glass this coming Spring in Seattle, Washington.

To truly appreciate the breadth and depth of Chihuly's skill though, you need to see it. The following video gives a better idea of the scope of his work, as well as words from this Master Artist himself. Enjoy and don't forget to register your children for the Budding Artists Kids Workshop this weekend!