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.