Giuseppe Arcimboldo’s 16th Century Optical Illusion Paintings

Italian painter Giuseppe Arcimboldo was born in Milan in 1524 and began painting stained glass window designs before transitioning to portraits.

At first glance the paintings look like a portrait but upon closer inspection you can see they are wonderfully arranged compositions consisting of fruits, vegetables, birds, books and other carefully arranged objects. His unusual art, ideas and vision resulted in many to believe Arcimboldo didn’t just have a creative mind, but was possibly mentally ill