[Giuseppe Arcimboldo / The Summer] The style called mannerism was the mainstream in the arts in the late 16th century when Arcimboldo was at his best. In the mannerism arts, eccentric ideas were preferred, and symbolic images and complex, difficult expressions were often used. Italian born Arcimboldo was invited to Prague in his 40s and became a court artist for Emperor Maximilian of the Holy Roman Empire. His talent was highly evaluated. What enhanced his fame in particular were odd portraits like this piece. There are few comparable examples to the wonder of his conception of creating human faces by combining various items as seen in this strange portrait. Here, summer fruit, grass and flowers are entwined to create a profile of a person. There are other examples in the four-season series, and other famous works include those with the themes of "earth" or "water". Copyright/Photo RMN/J.G.Berizzi/digital file by DNPAC