Discover the fascinating visuals behind "The Elements"
Music of the Baroque’s mission is to make music from the 17th and 18th centuries accessible to all, and one way we do that is through our publications. When we create our season, we try to make our programs come to life with a mix of modern photography and artworks from the past, usually from the Renaissance or Baroque eras. Finding the right images can be daunting as we consider the season’s overarching theme, the music on a particular program, copyright rules, and even the season’s color scheme. But every so often, the perfect visual falls right into our lap. We had never seen anything quite like the art we’re using to illustrate “The Elements" (October 27 and 28): "Fire" and “Water” from Italian Renaissance painter Giuseppe Arcimboldo's series entitled "The Four Elements.” (See what we did there?) His unique portraits were centuries old, with a thoroughly modern feel.
"Fire" (left) and "Water" (right) by Giuseppe Arcimboldo
Giuseppe Arcimboldo was born in Milan in 1527, the son of Biagio Arcimboldo, a painter in Milan's Cathedral. Giuseppe spent many of his early years working with his father, painting religious frescos and designing altars and stained-glass windows. But it wasn't until later, as the official court painter for the Hapsburg prince Ferdinand I, that Arcimboldo developed the unusual style of portraiture for which he is most known: human heads formed through a combination of flowers, fruit, and other objects.
In addition to the series that provided the source for our October art, Arcimboldo's oeuvre includes a set inspired by the Four Seasons (which is equally fitting, as our October program includes Vivaldi's "Autumn" Concerto!). Both collections were created for the Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian II to glorify the Hapsburg dynasty. When the paintings were presented to the emperor in 1569, "Autumn" was paired with "Earth" from his "Four Elements" series.
"Earth" (left) and "Autumn" (right) by Giuseppe Arcimboldo
Arcimboldo's intriguing artwork fascinated his contemporaries and even inspired artists of the Surrealist movement like Salvador Dalí, who rediscovered him in the 20th century. While some scholars interpreted Arcimboldo’s unique style as a sign of a "mental imbalance," most see his peculiar artistry as entirely in keeping with Renaissance tradition, which held a strong fascination of the bizarre.
From the shocking opening of Rebel’s “The Elements” to Vivaldi’s picturesque portrayal of Autumn, our program will be as evocative as Arcimboldo’s—and perhaps a bit tamer. Good seats remain for both performances on Sunday, October 27, at the North Shore Center in Skokie and Monday, October 28, at the Harris Theater in downtown Chicago.