Giuseppe Arcimboldo

Another great Italian Renaissance artist is Giuseppe Arcimboldo (1527-1593). Today, critics wonder whether his paintings were whimsical or the manifestation of madness. In his day, he and his work were much-admired. While he did traditional paintings, portraits like this catered to the Renaissance fascination with riddles, puzzles, and the bizarre. Arcimboldo has inspired modern surrealists like painter Salvador Dali and filmmaker Jan Svankmeyer.