Four Seasons in One Head
Painted around 1590, The Four Seasons is one of Giuseppe Arcimboldo's last works. If not a self-portrait of the artist in the “winter” of his life, the painting is a summary of his career.
The Concept
This creature sculpt was interpreted from the piece by Giuseppe Arcimboldo "Four Seasons in One Head". In comparison to the whimsical character of most of Arcimboldo's art, the tone is darker. The Four Seasons is perhaps the most closely connected of all the combined heads of Arcimboldo to the physiognomic studies of Leonardo da Vinci, Arcimboldo's predecessor.
The Process
A bespoke piece, every asset was hand-sculpted in ZBrush. From the tiniest pollen ball to the trunk of the tree itself, the tree can be explored in great depth. Extra detail and texture was added in Substance Painter to add some irregularities to the fruit and flowers, before being compiled into Maya for rendering.
The piece will eventually become part of a home gallery piece, pride of place on the salon wall for many people to explore and learn about. The room will be a vintage setting befitting of the gorgeous models, complete with crystal ashtrays and cracking leather sofas.
The Outcome
Four Seasons in One Head has been my most challenging model yet, especially through a global pandemic, but I'm excited to take what I've learnt into future sculpts. It was compiled of so many assets and maps that my organisation skills had to be supreme, as well as watching that polygon count so I was able to do a home render. Here's to more creature sculpts in the future!