“Aesthetics of Gestaltian Figures in the Works of Giuseppe Arcimboldo”

The Mannerists are always measured in comparison with the artists of the high Renaissance and, of course, the creation of such a style dates back to the period of Michelangelo's wall paintings in the Sistine Chapel. European Mannerists have always received both positive and negative criticism, such as an emphasis on artist individuality and genius, and a cultural crisis. In this study, the intention is to study the works of one of the Mannerists, namely Giuseppe Arcimboldo, in a descriptive-analytical method to find aesthetic, perceptual, and cognitive values. To study these works, the theoretical foundations of Gestalt psychology have been used concerning the views of Wertheimer, Arnheim, and Gombrich. During the study, we gradually realize the artistic values of the works, and therefore the methodological path from aesthetic (sensory), as well as perceptual and cognitive steps, leads to artistic ones, and we seek to answer the question of whether all the values of Mannerist`s works can be found in one which Summarized artificial and they make lead to the deviation from Renaissance`s classicism? Are Arcimboldo's works, as they seem at first glance, ornamental works? Giuseppe Arcimboldo created the most artificial Mannerist works in the 16th century. His works are a combination of fruits, foods, fishes, infants, books and roots, and tree trunks. Their contemporary audiences recognized the famous Protestant reformer also, a familiar librarian, cook, gardener, and even Rudolf II in the form of Vertomenus, in Roman mythology. These are the images created to test how humans perceive and how the recognition is happening. The artist has worked in the courts of Vienna and Prague for twenty-five years, so he is a court portrait painter who has painted others in this way with the ability to accurately and intricately identify inanimate objects and nature to show their personality. The faces in his works are not only beautiful and he has also used unattractive creatures or elements so that the figures which he has created have their infections, one (the gardener), has a very big nose, one (Cook) has a very flat face and the other (winter) is a bit badly composed. In addition, the artist has used his imagination to a great extent and has used surrealist methods to combine simple objects and things to allude to deeper meaning. In such a way he has created a metaphorical and meaningful whole from the proximity of insignificant objects. Another point that draws attention to Gestalt principles is that he transformed individuals and their personalities such as gardeners, cooks, lawyers, and librarians into what they produce or deal with. Perhaps in this way, one realizes the alienation of the producer during the production of the product.This study suggested the formation of aesthetics and its intertwining with psychology until their separation from each other and thus the inclusion of psychology as an approach to aesthetics. After explaining the psychology of perception and the role of Gestalt in it, the results of the study of Archimboldo show that he made an effort to elevate himself from an ordinary painter to an excellent and creative painter. He preconsciously used the visual principles of organization as well as the Gestalt principles of perception. In Archimbold's works, most of the portraits are in the center and there is a self-made decorative frame inside the frames, in this sense, they are accompanied by Renaissance paintings, but there is no effort to apply perspective due to their necessity. Also, the colors are closer to real things and the details of things in the world. In these works, there is no dominant color area to focus on, but the dark background color affects the light of the colors and reduces their intensity and their shining. Gestalt is one aspect of the story, the other aspect is the principles that dominate the process of visual perception. Therefore, the process and direction of perception and recognition of things in these works are very important. This process should be done simultaneously without pausing and focusing on the constituent elements of the general boards. After that, the audience can pay attention to the details of creatures, plants, trees, flowers, fruits, animals, etc. What this artist found can be seen differently in the works of Escher, Matisse, and Dali. The artist has created a meaningful whole from the proximity of small and insignificant objects. Perhaps it is because of this closeness and accompaniment or the composition of the whole we can understand the metaphorical aspect of the surrealist figures of his works. In his works, the aesthetics of food, flowers, and plants are also at the center of the painter's attention and many artists still imitate him. He was a court portrait painter who painted others with the ability to accurately and intricately identify inanimate objects and nature by moving in the path of physiognomy. In addition to the principles of Gestalt, he also used the main idea of caricature or cartoon, so that due to his prominent personality, familiar people were known and recognized by his contemporaries. Looking at the faces, we realize that they are not just beautiful in some works. Therefore, the aesthetics of ugliness is another emphasis of his artistic measures.Another point that draws attention while drawing out Gestalt principles is that he transforms the individuals and characters into what they produce or deal with in some paintings. In this regard, he pays attention to the alienation of the producer during the production of his product or work. Gestalt principles, in addition to the holistic view, lead to harmony, balance, symmetry, and closure, which have been associated with the laws of visual perception concerning beauty in the classical sources since ancient Greece. This perception of beauty has occurred in some of the works of this artist. With this two-aspects approach, it can be said that in Archimboldo's works, conscious perception of the form as a whole is effective. Through the principles of Gestalt, the perception of beauty related to form sometimes occurs and realizes the beauty of still lifes, the beauty of nature itself in flowers, plants, and animals, the aesthetics of ugliness, and the aesthetics of “the everyday life” and his works to some extend, show the tendency to physiognomy. Despite his deviation, he succeeds in invoking different aesthetic styles, schools, and genres of art history. Finally, it is necessary to point out that all these results stem from an analysis of the process of formation of these paintings according to the gestalt principles. The artist according to these Gestalt principles could pass the skills in the perspective and visual illusion in drawing flesh, and skin and apply the tromp l'oeil to struggle with the audience's visual perception. Although this study does not fully attempt to evaluate how the Gestalt principles were applied to Arcimboldo’s works, it can say that the artist could have worked more creatively on the principle of ground and figure. Everything in them has been calculated and carefully selected. The relationships of the elements, components, objects, animals, plants, and flowers have been used with great delicacy and it has replaced the acumen of performing scientific perspective and the delicacy of performing human flesh. Hence, there are no opportunities for coincidence in his artistic action.