Mannerism

After the great masters, artists sought elegance, surprise and artifice.

How do you move on when Raphael and Michelangelo have already achieved perfection? The Mannerists chose to stretch the rules. Bodies became elongated, space ambiguous and colours acidic. Parmigianino’s Madonna with the Long Neck and Pontormo’s floating figures are typical.

Mannerism was a court art for connoisseurs who appreciated learned allusions and technical mastery. Sculptors such as Giambologna made twisting figures meant to be seen from every side.

At the same time, the era was shaped by the Reformation and the Counter-Reformation. In Venice, Tintoretto and Veronese painted large, dramatic works, and in Spain El Greco developed an entirely personal, spiritual style.