Mannerism art is the short art movement sandwiched between the Renaissance and Baroque art movements; it was a different art movement from the Renaissance.
Mannerism is the art movement that emerged after the High Renaissance era. Mannerism art is an offshoot of the Renaissance; Renaissance artist as Michelangelo and Raphael adopted mannerism techniques in their art. Mannerism art exaggerated and distorted elements of Renaissance art while creating a sense of imbalance in their art.
Mannerism Art And The Renaissance Art
During the Renaissance era, the artist found their inspiration in the arts of Classical Greek and Rome. The Renaissance artists believed in the ideal form of art.
Mannerism is a style that emerged at the end of the Renaissance. The Mannerism artists took the principles they had learned from the Renassiase arts and added new twists to these artistic elements.
Mannerism is a style that started in Italy in about the 1520s and then found its way into the rest of Europe. Mannerism refers to the stylized yet exaggerated approach these artists applied to their paintings and sculptures.
Mannerism is known as the bridge between the High Renaissance era and the Baroque era, which also adopted many Mannerism art techniques.
As The Tate explains about the Mannerism art movement:
“Rather than adopting the harmonious ideals associated with Raphael and Michelangelo, they went a step further to create highly artificial compositions which showed off their techniques and skills in manipulating compositional elements to create a sense of sophisticated elegance.“
Tate
Unlike the Renaissance artists, where art was about proportions and form, the Mannerism artist exaggerated those forms, especially the human body. In their art, the body was in twisted forms, with elongated bodies and notoriously tiny heads.
The Mannerism artist was not concerned about ensuring the proportions of the bodies and the art were precisely correct. They built upon what the Renaissance artist had done but then exaggerated it and took it a few steps further in how they executed their art.
High Renaissance Offshoots Of Mannerism Art
Interestingly, Mannerism is that some of the styles can be seen in some High Renaissance art. This shows that before Mannerism was in full fledge, artists were starting to experiment with some of the Mannerism types of styles in their work.
Mannerism exaggerates and distorts the elements of Renaissance art to create a sense of imbalance. So Mannerism art is an offshoot of Renaissance art, but the artists built upon the Renaissance art for their unique art form.
The Transfiguration By Raphael (1516 -1520)
Raphael is a High Renaissance artist. The Transfiguration is Raphael’s last painting before his untimely death in 1520.
Cardinal Giulio de Medici commissioned the Transfiguration to paint for the city of Narbonne in France. The painting is now housed at the Vatican Museums.
The painting is divided into two distinct parts; the Transfiguration is related to successive stories of the Gospel of Matthew. The upper part of the painting depicts Christ elevated in front of billowing clouds, surrounded by the prophets Elijah and Moses.
In the lower part of the painting, the Apostles are depicted unsuccessfully trying to rid a possessed boy of the demon. The upper part of the painting also shows the transfigured Christ performing miracles, curing the boy, and freeing him of evil.
What is interesting about this painting is that Raphael showed advanced indications and techniques for Mannerism in this painting in the bodies and how they are twisted and turned. We can see from this painting that even the Renaissance artist was influenced by Mannerism.
The Last Judgement – Sistine Chapel By Michelangelo (1536-1541)
Michelangelo is a painter that is associated with the High Renaissance era. But The Last Judgement paintings at the Sistine Chapel show a lot of Mannerism style and technique.
Michelangelo had a very long career as he lived to be 88 years old and spent his life producing art. Up until six days before his death in 1564, he worked on a sculpture.
Michelangelo painted the Sistine Chapel Ceiling from 1508 to 1512. When he returned to paint The Last Judgment from 1536 to 1542, the painting showed some Mannerism style. We can see that even Michelangelo, by 1536, was adopting Mannerism techniques in his art.
Artists like Michelangelo, known as Renaissance artists, were also part of the Mannerism movement.
Even though the Mannerism artists rejected a lot of the art and style of the Renaissance as far as their perspective and use of form, but the same time they were influenced by artists like Michelangelo and Raphael. The Mannerism artists used the techniques of Renaissance artists but added their perspectives on the art.
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Related Questions
What Are The Characteristics Of Mannerism Art?
Mannerism was an art movement filled with elongated bodies, tiny heads, and human figures in twisted forms. Perspective and proportion were unnecessary, but colors and contrasts, virtuosity, and agitated compositions are essential.
By clicking here, you can learn more by reading What Are The Characteristics Of Mannerism Art?
What Was The Focus Of Renaissance Art?
The focus of Renaissance art was on the classics of Greek and Rome, humanist philosophy, and the study of the human figure. Realism was also an essential part of renaissance art. The great artists of the Renaissance also became great anatomists and studied human beings.
By clicking here, you can learn more by reading What Was The Focus Of Renaissance Art?.
What Are The Major Periods In Western Art History?
The significant Western art history periods are defined as Prehistoric Art, Ancient Art, Medieval Art, the Renaissance, Mannerism, Baroque, Rococo, Neoclassicism, Romanticism, Realism, Art Nouveau, Impressionism, Post – Impressionism, Fauvism, Expressionism, Cubism, Surrealism, Abstract Expressionism, Op Art, Pop Art, Arte Povera, Minimalism, Conceptual Art and Contemporary Art.
By clicking here, you can learn more by reading What Are The Major Periods In Western Art History?.
