Spring had begun to unfold and the blooms were budding on the trees. I went to see the Four Season Sculptures. Only one I felt complemented Wisley and it’s environment. Winter.
These sculptures tower above us and are over 15ft high. They pay homage to the 16th-century Italian artist Giuseppe Arcimboldo and are 3D interpretations of his bizarre paintings of people made from fruit and fresh produce from the land. I find both the paintings and these sculptures somewhat grotesque . The are made of fibreglass and are undeniably masterfully contructed, The elaborate pieces imagine Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter in human form, rendered with exuberant arrangements of seasonal fruit, vegetables, flowers and crops.
Philip Haas explains: “I embarked upon the Four Seasons project wanting to re-contextualise Arcimboldo’s 16th-century imagery within the 21st-century physical world, through changes in scale, material and dimensionality. With the exhibition at Wisley taking place over multiple seasons, another transformation will occur to alter and enrich the viewer’s perspective – the passage of time and the play of light and weather on the sculptures.”
Giuseppe Arcimboldo’s original Winter
Source: www.Apollomagazine.com.
I liked Winter because the fibreglass really worked well and the wood and the vines looked authentic and fruit ordaining this piece was at the bare minimum.
The other sculptures were incredible but for me looked garish. The fibreglass material screamed manmade and ugly to me. I do not like the original paintings so I guess that does not help. Three of these sculptures stand in stark contrast to the beautiful Wisley and I feel look like misplaced Blots on the landscape. Maybe they are like marmite - worth a visit!
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