Mannerism

Mannerism developed in Rome and Florence in the 1520's. Mannerism comes from the Italian maniera which means style. Artificiality, grace, and elegance became priority over the High Renaissance characteristics of balance and lifelike references. Architects began using the Mannerist style and designed buildings that were off balance and not uniform. Painters began working with the Mannerist style. Their figures became elongated, they held complicated poses that seemed to defy gravity, and they used enigmatic( perplexing or mysterious)gestures. Often times the figures were twisted.

One painting of this time is the Madonna With The Long Neck by Parmigiano. There is a figure of the Virgin Mary in the center. Her figure is distorted with massive legs and the lower torso is elongated. The size and length of the legs and torso don't match the upper bodies narrow shoulders. It appears that the Mary is seated on a throne, but there is no throne in the painting. The baby Christ in her lap appears to be in a pieta. The body of the Christ child has an elongated Torso and left leg. There are pillars in the background that don't connect to anything, therefore they are not supporting anything. There is a very small St.Jerome in the right hand corner (the onlookers right). He is grossly out of proportion to the rest of the figures in the painting. Parmigianino is presenting a well-known image in a fashion to unsettle viewers and it is very effective. The Virgin Mary also seems too large for the picture. It appears as if she stood up she would hit her head. Although the figures are distorted and the painting is unsettling there is still an elegance about this painting. That was another characteristic of this period, to create an elegant feel amongst all of the paintings awkwardness. I don't get that sensation from the next painting we are about to discuss.

I would like to talk about Pontormo's Entombment. The background is grey and shadowy. This gives the piece no sense of placement. Some of the figures seem to come into the viewers space. Several of the images seem off balance because they are on tiptoes. The painting represents a moment just after Jesus is removed from the cross. The figures are pausing to get a better grip on the body of Jesus. The use of colors is very striking. Bright pinks and blues are mixed with olive,brown, and grey hues. One of the figures crouching in the front of the painting holds a gaze directed towards the viewers, drawing them in to the unsettling painting.

The Madonna With The Long Neck by Parmigiano held an elegant feel. Also the colors blend nicely. The figures elongated bodies add to the elegance. The painting by Pontormo gives me a sense of anguish when I look at it. The colors do not blend. The bright colors suggest a happy or joyous theme to the story, but when you go deeper into the painting you see the darker hues and the sadness. The elongated figures seem dark and creepy.

It is amazing to me that two paintings, both done in the Mannerist style, can have such a dramatically different effect on the viewer. Both paintings have elongated figures, both paintings seemed confusing by the tricky backgrounds, and both depict an unsettling theme. And still, with all of those things in common, I couldn't sleep in a room with Pontormo's Entombment hanging on the wall.

The early renaissance seemed to start the humanism period of the renaissance. Humanism, by definition, was an activity of cultural and educational reform. The idea was to enhance the civic community. Italian writers of the time emphasized a human beings potential for individual accomplishment. The Italian humanists saw an era of rebirth, or renaissance, when humanity began to emerge from a stagnet state. They focused on the classical past for inspiration. This idea led them to focus on Ancient Rome. Artists mirrored the humanists and their focus turned to ancient Roman sculpture and architecture for inspiration. Thus, the art of the time took on a look of perfection and idealism of the human form.

Other influences of this time was the use of fresco, which was paint on top of plaster. Fresco allowed the artist to have a wider variety of pigments, allowing for greater detail and more human looking paintings.

Linear perspective became popular. Linear perspective is space aligned with an implied point that converges on a single point on the horizon. This concept draws the viewer into the picture. By using this concept, artists were able to give their art a dimensional feel that seemed true to the real world.

Donatello produced the first life size male nude of his time, a bronze statue of "David" in 1446-1460. The torso and the muscular definition of the arms and chest gives the viewer the sense of an ideal form, or perfect form. There is a slight tilt to the hip to give the statue a more human stance. Instead of the statue looking like it is posing, it looks more like a position you would see several people assume just walking down the street if they paused to look at something. The detail in the expression is another example of an idealistic or perfect form. There are no pimples or lines or anything to distract the viewer from the look of smooth, perfect skin.

Leading into the High Renaissance period, the human form or anatomy is refined even farther. An example of this is Michelangelo's statue of "David". According to the book, Michelangelo was commissioned for a statue of David, the biblical hero. It was finished in1504. The "David" was done so well that the city council put it in the main city square. It represented a reminder of Florence's public status. The statue depicts the perfect male figure. The detail in the muscles is incredible. Its as though the protruding tendons in the neck are real. David has a furrowed expression on his brow that gives him a look of facing danger. Since this statue represents a male probably in his twenties, his expression reflects a a young mans expression of danger ahead and concern. My attention is brought to the hands of David. They have tendons leading to the fingers and the detail on the left thumb looks like a real fingernail. The statue of David is a great example of humanism being reflected in the 16th century. David is an example of what Michelangelo's artisitic genius pictured as an ideal male.

Fresco was also still being used at this time. Oil paint also became a popular medium. With the combination of more colors available to the artist and linear perspective being mastered over this time, its no wonder the art of the renaissance period is so beautiful.

I feel compelled to discuss the Duomo in Florence briefly. It is not the topic I am choosing, but I must discuss its awe before moving on. I lived in Europe a little less than a year. Some friends came to visit me and we did a two week tour of Italy, by tour I mean hopped on a train. We stayed in Florence for three days. None of us had any art history background. We were walking through the streets eating warm croissants and figuring out which tourist events were open and which were closed. I turned to my friend to ask her a question and I walked right into the backside of the Duomo and hit my head on its might wall. I looked up and down and side to side trying to encompass its greatness. When they say its big, you have no idea! We found the front and couldn't believe our eyes. It is hard to describe the detail. Every inch of that building, every nook and cranny has something magnificent to be seen. The book can't come close to describing its greatness. It would take years for just the average Joe, like me, to uncover and explain everything that is happening with the Duomo. The combination of art and architecture overwhelmed me to a point I had never experienced before. The only thing that comes close was stepping off the train in Venice, walking to the front of the train station and gazing into a wonderland of canals and gondolas. Although my enthusiasm shines for the Duomo, I mean the Dome, I would like to spend this time discussing art I am far less familiar with. That leads me to "The Delivery of The keys to St.Peter", by Pietro Perugino. This painting presents a sense of calmness when I look at it. To better explain the calming hold this picture has on me, I would like to present some background on this period in time. Early Southern Renaissance Art coupled Naturalism with idealism. The figures begin to have more weight and presence. They are painted to look as a perfect figure would look. Some of the figures are muscular, while some show no signs of age, a flawless complexion. Paintings of this period were often done in Fresco. The Fresco style of painting is paint on top of plaster. There was dry fresco, which was paint on dry plaster. There was also wet fresco, which was paint on top of wet plaster. The idea being the drying of the plaster would seal in the paint. Perfection, harmony and balance were very important. They were achieved with Linear Perspective. Linear perspective is a concept that presumes a viewer is standing center at a certain distance from a painting. From this point where the viewer is presumed to be standing, everything would appear to recede in to the distance at the same rate. The eye would follow imaginary lines called orthogonals that meet a single vanishing point at the horizon. This is the technique artists used to create optical illusions. "The Delivery of the Keys to St.Peter" is done with linear perspective. The composition is divided between the figures and the wide spaces of the background. It is even and balanced which gives the painting an ease about it. There is a temple at the very center raised and separate from any other building. This is stating that the church is a strong presence. It conveys to me that the area is protected by god and that the people in the picture are calm and relaxed because they know they have nothing to fear. The poses of the figures in the background are filled with movement and emotion. The mood of their actions strike me as carefree. In the painting, Christ gives St.Peter the authority of the church by handing him keys. It is possibly depicting St.Peter as the first Bishop. Another characteristic of this time is Historia, a history painting that is narrative and instructs the viewer in a pleasurable way. I am mentioning this because "The Delivery of the Keys to St.Peter" represents that kind of painting. There is a variety of colors and figures. The figures also represent decency and modesty. I believe that very decency and modesty painted into the figures in the foreground complete that sense of calmness I feel when I look at this painting. I hope you enjoy "The Delivery of The keys to St.Peter", by Pietro Perugino as much as I have. There were so many great pieces to write on in this chapter, but this one stood out amongst the others.

The documentary, Northern Renaissance: The Supreme Art", captivated me from the very beginning. I don't think I blinked until it ended. I can't wait to share it with my daughter!

The documentary, Northern Renaissance: The Supreme Art" describes the Northern Renaissance as a famous re-birth of painting. The art market was international and all of the art had a recognizable style. I feel that christianity and social stature were valued in the Northern Renaissance.

Jan Van Eyke made painting the ultimate art. His paintings perfectly depicted the real world. Eyke became known as the "Prince of Painters." At a time when magnificence glorified the powerful and catholocism reigned, Philippe the Good commissioned Eyke. He was greatly overpaid but Phillipe the Good believed he could not find an artist with equal skills. This identified Eyke as an individual with his art.

The Ghent Altarpiece by Jan Van Eyke launched the Renaissance. Visitors paid high prices to see it. Eventually, the panels of the painting were scattered for safety reasons. One panel was never recovered. Eyke created his art to reflect the light of the room the painiting would be hung in, combining an illusion of a global consistency that drew viewers into the painting. Eyke's technique of layering the oil paints thinly to build the colors he used is still the best way to depict a human form today. This technique he used in the gems he painted made them shine like real gems. Since an ordinary person couldn't afford jewels, they could commission a painted substitution at a fraction of the cost.

Iconography , the study of symbols in art, can be found throughout the paintings in this period. As a conspicuous way of matching oneself to the elite, portraits became popular. Eyke had the ability to portray the sitters deepest desires to the viewers. The Arnolfini portrait by Jan Van Eyke shows a mirror in the background of the painting. On the right side are pictures depicting the death and resurrection of Christ, while the left side depicts the life of Christ. It is so small that with my eyesight I need a magnifying glass to see it. This portrait also shows two candles, one with a flame lit and one with a flame extinguished. One theory is that the portrait is of a man mourning his wife that has passed and her image is next to him. My thought was since a candle extinguishes itself when god takes a human form, is it possible that the woman is an angel in the portrait? The painting made its way into royal collections and can now be viewed at the National Gallery in Brittain.

I would also like to mention Claus Sluter. Sluter was the first artist to give sculpture a life-like look. Sluter carved the "Well of Moses." The figures are so life like, not perfect, but true in form. You can see the age lines in the faces and every fold in the robes. Even the sculpture of Jeremiah is squinting because originally the sculpture included a pair of glasses.

Jan Van Eykes technique made its way to the Netherlands where his art stood as the gold standard of their painting industry. Jan Van Eyke's art is capable of being nature, not just reflecting nature.

Blog for Week #1

The Renaissance period of art is one of the most popular periods. I think this is because it is such a romantic period. There are many reasons people are drawn to the 15th and 16th century art, but for me, the main draw is beauty. It is easier for me to identify with a drawing or painting of a woman that is full figured and beautifully dressed. It leaves a message to our society that you don't have to be 90 pounds and scantily clad to be alluring. Our culture tends to focus on big names such as Michaelangelo , Leonardo da Vinci and Raphael. They changed the way we see portrait painting, offered new ideas for lighting in paintings, offered skills as scientists, as well as artists, and cartoonists. When I picture a magical land, or I am reading a story with fairies and princesses, the background I imagine is from this period in time.